


Serpentes

by kutiefics



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Aged Down Hoseok, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Gangsters, Daddy Kink, Dom Kim Namjoon | RM, Dom Kim Seokjin | Jin, Dom/sub, Drug Use, Feminization, Forced Prostitution, Guns, Heavy BDSM, Hobi gets involved later, Hobi's had it tough, Hyung Kink, Jeongguk is a bunny, Kidnapping, Knives, Light Angst, M/M, Might add more tags later, Minor Character Death, Multi, Murder, Needle Phobia, OT7, Oppa Kink, Out of Character, Owner Kink, Panic Attacks, Past Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Praise Kink, Predator/Prey, Revenge, Sir Kink, Smut, Sub Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Switch Kim Taehyung | V, Switch Min Yoongi | Suga, Switch Park Jimin, Torture, Trust Issues, Violence, Voyeurism, hoseok is soft, light age play, light degradation, light pet play, master kink, not in a humiliating way, switch jeongguk, watch out it's kinky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-03
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2019-05-01 11:47:20
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 32,211
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14519853
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kutiefics/pseuds/kutiefics
Summary: *was named Sheep and Wolves*Hoseok only has himself, now more than ever. If he thinks about it, things might have always been that way. Back home in Korea he had family, but their financial situation drove wedges between them and no one trusted each other. They probably didn' t care that he'd gone missing, snatched off the streets at 14 and smuggled in a shipping container to America. Only to be sold off like something sub-human and made into a drug mule before a whore. For 7 years he's lived like that, letting people fuck him only to give almost all the money to his handler. He's so sick of it all. That's why he's been stealing it, the money and the drugs, trying to gain money to run away. He was smart about it, he only took money when no one was around to count the amount of people he'd bedded. And he only sold on the turf of the gang that owns him. He was being so smart, he was almost there... so why? Why did it go wrong?===========================Hoseok was on the path to freedom, could feel it on his skin. But circumstances sometimes get in the way of success and he's forced to run, only to run directly into a snake's den. All he can think about is, how is this going to end for me?





	1. A Dream

**Author's Note:**

> Heyo~ I'm KiKi and i'm new to this whole fanfiction thing, although i've been brainstorming stuff for a while. I hope i'm not too shitty. Anyway i had some things to address about the tags.  
> Any past sexual abuse will not be made graphic although it will be mentioned as it pretains to the story line. past forced drug abuse will be mentioned and recreational drug use will be occuring in the story. I don't do drugs myself so i am trying to conduct proper research to give the most accurate description possible, bear with me.  
> Enjoy~~

Whenever Hoseok allowed himself to think about the past he could only describe it as a dream. A bad one, but a dream no less. Were those people his family? Was that really his life? If he were still there would he be happy? If he hadn’t been on that street that night…

It was like that, what if and memories he wasn’t even sure was real anymore.

Sometimes he wonders if those people were just made up by him when he was pulled under the haze of heroin and staring at the ceiling as their more elite costumers did as they pleased. Imaging a reality far greater than this one, where he was back in Korea and his family hadn’t been a broken mess. One that they loved each other in, one where they surely missed and grieved for his abduction.

But Hoseok wasn’t stupid, he knew them well enough, his mother was no better than him, sleeping around with foul men that made passes at his sister even though they’d known she was well underaged and beat him in “attempt to make the scrawny bastard a man”. Oh, how they’d find it funny that he lays one his back all day for people to come and go as they wish. Even his sister hated him, somehow finding some way to feel as if their mother favored him even though it was clear that the wench only loved herself and a needle.  
The grunts above him lured him back to reality and he remembered why he was so sky-high today, this is the guy that liked his partner… unresponsive.

“Don’t move, breathe lightly, don’t make a sound. Just… play dead,” He chuckled out when they first met.

The mere thought of it made Hoseok want to shudder but he suppressed it, it wasn’t hard to not make a sound, the guy was horrible in bed. It also helped that Hoseok had learned to hold his breath for a long time.

Finally, he finished with a satisfied grunt, lightly patting Hoseok’s skinny thigh as he pulled out, taking off the condom and tossing it in a random corner of the motel they were in. “I’m impressed, you’ve gotten better at this playing dead thing, I just wish you were a little colder.”

Hoseok sat up straight in bed, making sure to hold back his sass and not to meet his eyes. “Thank you, Mister. Maybe next time I can find a way to make myself cold for you.”

The man chortled, “Ah! They sure train you little whores well over here! Made sure the best thing you know how to do is take a good fucking.”

 _Good fucking? Your dick is barely long enough to thrust properly I can’t ever feel a thing_. Hoseok thought to himself as he just giggled and played his air head role. “Thank you! They really do good work here! Come back to see me soon, okay?”

The man gave a curt nod and began to walk out, but then came back in, “I almost forgot to pay! Here, and a little extra because you’re always so good at the role play.”

Hoseok stood and plastered a fake smile on as he slipped the money from his hand in a seductive way, making himself seem eager for their next meeting. “Thank you again. Come back soon okay?”

Finally, he dipped out and Hoseok fell back on the bed with an exhausted grunt, grimacing at the discomfort of his rump. He had 30 minutes to rest then 15 to wash up and dress and 5 to get back to his block.

So that’s what he did, a quick nap, a quicker shower, and a power walk back this street, just to repeat the motions throughout the day. His high making things numb and manageable, not uselessly boring and completely unbearable. The sex was never good. If he was lucky he’d get someone good in bed every 2 weeks. But the ones who could fuck well were always going for the pretty girls, the higher class and higher priced girls.

There was a time when Hoseok was naïve and thought that if he worked hard he could get to that status. That he could stop fucking those lowly married men that would complain about their wives or even call him the names of their wives. But it was short lived, somewhere along the way he noticed that the only ones to climb the latter, were girls, girls who willingly fucked the guards. The only one’s that had an opinion that mattered looked down on the male prostitutes with disgust and have literally spat on Hoseok on more than one occasion.

The dream died before he could get himself hurt by being foolish.

It was finally the end of the night and Hoseok wobbled back to his shitty room in a shittier motel where the gang keeps the lower hookers. He waved politely to others that looked just as worn out as him, some prematurely aged from frequent drug use. Hoseok wasn’t against drugs, only the ones that require a needle. Jamie always forces him to use those, pinning him down with the occasional guards he brought along to make sure none of them got too rowdy, like this afternoon. He does it for fun, to see Hoseok tremble, cry and gag from the fear that invaded him whenever he saw one.

The look on his face was clearly that of sexual pleasure, loving how the fight falls away when his senses are dulled, and he becomes delayed.

Luckily, Jamie doesn’t do that too often, a delayed hooker is a caught hooker. And that means less money for the boss.

Hoseok practically fell into his room before kicking the door shut behind him and falling onto the bed, drifting to sleep instantly.

When he woke everything was quiet and it was bright outside that clashed with the massive headache sitting behind his eyes. A strangled gasp left him as he rolled from his bed and onto the floor to scoot to the window, hoping to close the blinds. Then he saw it, the van. The telltale black van of Jamie.

Hoseok jumped up and reached into all his pockets gathering that day’s earnings, even digging in his shoes to make sure he didn’t forget anything. It dawned upon him that he hadn’t counted the money to see if he could skim anything that day, so he listened for the sound of room doors opening. When he didn’t hear anything, he figured they were still on the first floor making it plenty of time before they had to come to him for pick up.

So, he counted, and recounted to be sure, $1600 were in his hands right now, that means if he took just one persons pay for a blowjob then it wouldn’t be noticeable. He dipped under his bed and reached behind the loose floorboard to grab an old plush doll that he’d taken most of the fluff out of to harbor his stash. Just as he opened the back to stuff his money in his door swung open.

“Jay, Jay~ I’m surprised you left your doo- “Jamie halted his movements as he took in Hoseok’s crouching form and the plush of money in his hands.

A moment of complete silence passed between them and Hoseok felt the sweat break out on his forehead.

Fuck, I didn’t lock the door. I didn’t lock the door!

“Now, now. What do we have here? Has our favorite little fuck toy been stealing?” Jamie began walking toward Hoseok and he could do nothing but remain frozen on the floor. “Look at me, Jay.”

He didn’t.

He couldn’t. it’d be like staring death directly in the face. He was so close. So close only for it all to be flushed away by a fucking lock.

“LOOK AT ME,” Jamie screamed, kicking Hoseok in the side. The man landed with a hard thud and rolled onto his back with a groan, a throbbing pain in his ribs and shoulders.

But that was long forgotten when he spotted Jamie.

He expected to see fury, but all he could pick up was glee. He was having fun.

Jamie delivered another kick to Hoseok’s stomach, a wide smile spread on his face. “You know, I’ve been waiting to catch you fucking up! You were behaving too well, always abiding the rules. It was aggravating to watch you and not catch a single thing. How much money have you stolen? Huh?”

Hoseok tried clutching the plush to his chest but in the end, he just earned himself a couple punches to the face and let go. The handler turned the plush upside down and all the money that Hoseok saved was falling to the floor. 20’s, 50’s, 100’s, all fluttering to the floor. Hoseok only heaved as Jamie laughed hysterically.

“Look at all that! You really worked hard, huh? You know what this means? This means I get to do whatever I please, because you’re a thief. You druggie whore, you stole from the boss.” Jamie’s voice had become too calm, to breathy, and Hoseok knew what it meant but he spared a glance anyway.

In Jamie’s hand was the largest syringe and needle he’d ever seen. It was already prefilled with what ever the fuck Jamie liked to inject in the low-class whores as his sick experiments. For a moment Hoseok was petrified. He couldn’t move his eyes away from the needle until he registered it coming closer.

Hoseok had become so consumed with fear he began babbling, weaving in and out of languages as hot tears flowed down his cheeks.

“Yes, yes just like that, beg me. Beg me for forgiveness. That’s so hot, you little slut, you’re going to be so much fun to kill.” He spoke in a low tone with a terrifying expression.

At that moment Hoseok realized that this was a live or die moment, and even though he’d endured all out hell these years… Hoseok had never planned on dying.

He didn’t want to die.

He refused to die.

Swallowing his fear Hoseok jumped up as quick as he could, grabbing a lamp and swinging it at Jamie’s face, catching him from his cheek all the way across his face to his forehead. As he cried out and grabbed at his face, Hoseok mustered all the strength he could and brought the lamp down on his head.

Jamie fell to the ground and Hoseok broke from his survivor mindset momentarily to realize that the other people like him were gathered in the door, staring wide eyed at him and Jamie. Then all at once they began shooing him. “Run! Run! He brought guards if you run now you can get away! Go!”

In the distance the guard’s feet were pounding on the floor and they called out for Jamie. So Hoseok did what he was told, he dipped down to grab a few bills blindly and went to the window in the back of the room, thanking his too thin frame as he easily slid out and to the ground.

Then he ran.


	2. Runaway

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kudos and hits! I haven't decided on a set update schedule yet, but im working on it as im taking finals at the moment and will be semi-free after this. This chapter has a flashback to Hoseok's capture, with a little bit on his families dynamic.  
> -KiKi-

Hoseok had never liked the cold, it always made his nose painful and when the wind blew his eyes watered. But he had no choice but to brave it at the moment because going home proved less than desirable. He knew he shouldn't be wandering the streets this late at night, especially in the neighborhood he lived in, but it was less scary than being home with that man his mother insisted she loved and whom he had to respect. All of the men she brought home were disgusting assholes but this one was especially creepy. He gave him these odd stares and sometimes would let his hands brush Hoseok's body in a way that was suggestive. 

It scared him, but he would just ignore it and go about his business. But he couldn't just ignore the fact that his underwear were going missing and that the man was getting more and more brazen. So he went to the one person who he felt might help because she somehow deals with the men that reside in their home more often.

His sister only laughed. "Bullshit, Hoseok. There's no way he's making passes at you. Why would he want your ugly ass if I'm right here. Those guys never want you."

He'd frown at how lightly she'd blown him off. He was seriously weirded out right now and she was insulting him. "Please just tell me how you deal with them? How do you make them stop?"

She laughed harder. "Make them stop? I just gave them what they wanted."

Hoseok only tilted his head in confusion, making her huff and toss her long black hair back. She was getting dressed to go out... again. She was almost never home anymore, and even though she was mean to him, Hoseok missed his sister. He remembered when he was smaller and she'd let him in her lap and they'd cuddle while she read her big books to him and stroke his hair. 

"I fucked them Hoseok." she said with a light tone. It threw Hoseok off and he made a choked sound as his face changed three shades of pink. His fluster made her laugh and shake her head. "We live the way we do and you still find it in yourself to be shy. Pathetic."

With that she strutted out of her room and then out of the apartment leaving Hoseok to his thoughts.

He didn't want to... do it with that man, he was really sleazy and always smelled like grease. Not to mention he was dating his mother. Hoseok shuddered when his mind wondered to things less desirable. But he figured he could think about it later because he was home alone now and was behind on schoolwork. 

As he walked back to his room he couldn't help but feel as if something was off, he couldn't figure out what exactly but he knows he feels it. Just as he went to slide his door open he paused, he hadn't left it open because he didn't want Mickey to get out. His mom liked to kick the puppy when she got high. He didn't need to think long about why his room was open when he spotted a shadow shift slightly in the corner by his dresser. His mother's boyfriend was in his room, when his mom wasn't home. That wasn't allowed. Hoseok was going to yell at him but then he realized what he was doing. He had the framed picture of Hoseok and Mickey gripped tightly in one hand, forefinger stroking Hoseok's face as his other hand was around his cock, stroking at an alarming pace. the view made Hoseok's stomach curl in disgust, only worsening when the man started to moan more loudly, bringing the frame right before his manhood and unloading onto it. 

Hoseok accidently made a loud gagging noise and the man spun toward him. Eyes wide, before smiling when he realised it was Hoseok who caught him. Hoseok did not like that smile and decided to high tail it out of there before the man got any more ideas. The sick freak gave chase for a while, but Hoseok was young and walked these streets constantly it wasn't too difficult to shake him. 

After he was sure the man wasn't going to catch up Hoseok slowed to a stroll and kicked a rock in frustration and self pity. 

None of this was fair. He hadn't asked for this life. He wanted it to go back to how it was before but he knew that it was imposible. It was impossible to raise his father from the grave a drunk driver put him in. It was impossible to pay the debt collecters the crazy amount of money they got behind on as his mother fell into depression and then drinking, then drugs. It was impossible to get their house back, impossible to get his sister back, impossible to get his mother back from the gang she'd started to sleep around with and deal drugs for. He couldn't stop her from bringing scary men home that would make him and his sister baracade their doors when they came around.

All his wallowing made him forget the main rule as a street kid, always watch your back. An all black, tinted sedan had rolled up behind him a little ways away with the headlights off. 

The sound of the car doors opening and closing is how he was brought back to reality. The quick glance behind him gave him enough information he needed to assess his situation. 2 very large men stalked quietly toward him and the black sedan sped toward him. 

Hoseok took no time in sprinting off back into the maze of alleyways, the men entering behind him.

Who the fuck are these guys? he thought as he dipped and darted around corners hoping to lose them but as well as Hoseok knew them, these guys seemed to know it better. He would turn a corner that lead to a popular street or a building but they just popped out too, it didn't take long for him to figure out they were herding him somewhere and turn around. Running in the way he came as a last ditch effort to throw them off. 

All seemed to be going well when he couldnt hear them or see them when he turned corners. He risked a victory chuckle as he bolted out of the alleyway and into the street, running down the middle so no one could grab him from the darkness. What he forgot about, though, was that they had backup in a car. 

As he came into a crossroad the sedan revved it's engine and flashed it's high beams, shocking Hoseok. As last minute quick thinking he jumped on top of the hood, his leg getting hit a bit, then rolled off as the car screeched to a stop, injuring his wrist. Before he could think to get up a man was on top of him another one holding his head still. 

Hoseok fought and screamed, trying to get someone to notice the situation. They tried to shut him up but Hoseok fought hard, punching, scratching, kicking, all while screaming for help. They laughed at him but Hoseok didn't care, he was desparate. 

Why was no one helping? Was no one actually going to help? Was there anyone to hear me? Please, please please someone help me, he begged in his mind. 

Another man came to secure his hands and that's when the man straddling him pulled out a small leather pouch, sliding out a syringe and a bottle of some sort, filling it as they laughed at Hoseok, who'd wet himself in fear.

The needle was pushed into Hoseok's neck and soon his struggles stopped and screams quieted as he fell unconscious.  
********************************

If Hoseok could laugh at the moment, he would've, the circumstances were just too similar to ignore. He's running for his life on familiar streets that he frequented again although this time if he was caught, Hoseok would actually die. It was dark out, the chill of the night air biting his cheeks and burning his eyes as he sprinted through the streets, hoping to get to a more populated area. 

It had been nearly a week since he was caught stealing and was forced to go on the run. His first thought was to try to flee the gang's territory but wherever he went he spotted members and the one time he made it over the border an angry drug dealer thought he was trying to move in on his teritory and chased him back with a knife. He was left to go back to his street kid ways and try to survive by stealing food after he realised that getting food the normal way is nearly impossible due to the influence the gang had over the residents. They'd try to keep in there so the members could get there to catch him or they would refuse to feed him, kicking him to the curb as soon as they spotted the lotus flower on his shoulder. Consequently he'd been sleeping under overpasses, porches and even in dumpsters, never getting enough to be fully rested as his nerves were constantly leaving him in a panic. 

By this point he was tired, hungry and he smelled like absolute death. In a moment of delirious weakness he'd thought of just stopping, letting them get him. But it was gone as soon as it came as he remembered that meant a slow and painful death. 

Hoseok turned another corner and found himself in a wide alley, a busy street at the other end. 

That's it, he thought, if I can just get across there and into the alley way there it could give me enough time to get some distance and find a place to hide.

It was the only way, there weren't enough people on the street to try and blend in but the cars would be difficult to navigate. It was a risk but he was going to take it. 

With two final deep breaths, Hoseok forced himself to move as fast as his deprived body could. He heard his tails shouting behind him but ignored it, weaving through traffic and narrowly avoiding a bus. He gasped in disbelief and started making his way into the alleyway just as he heard gunshots, two catching him in his left thigh and right arm. 

The wind was knocked out of his lungs and he fell to his knees inside the alley, groaning in agony. The gunshots made the whole street panic and people began running in panic and cars tried to speed away only to cause accidents.All of which served as obsticles against the men Hoseok was fleeing from, he knew that it was useless to try to get away still but he couldn't help it.

His desperation beat his reasoning.

He thanked god that it was dark out and too many people to be able to aim properly or else he surely would've been shot dead as he hobbled up and deeper into the alley way only to give a frustrated scream. A dead end... a fucking dead end. 

"No!" He shouted, craddling his bleeding arm and putting his weight on his right arm. "No, no, no, no, no, please."

I'm going to die, this is it, he thought. They're going to drag me back to Jamie or worse to the boss, and they were going to torture him before killing him and dumping him like garbage.

He'd stolen and destroyed Jamie's pride, and for that the price would not be a quick death.

Just as he began to accept his fate a miracle happened. The back door to the buildng to his right, that Hoseok figured was some sort of club by the sound of the music blasting from the inside meant anything, flung open. An obnoxiously loud and drunk couple fell out, laughing incoherently at whatever joke they heard. 

Hoseok grabbed the door before it closed and went in as quickly as he could, slamming it shut behind him. He stood there for a moment, gaping in shock. 

Something had gone right for him? He was going to be able to hide for a while and figure out how to get away.

He couldn't believe his luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again i'd liek to say thank you for reading this! Also i took the spacing into consideration and i hope this makes everything better. Until next time loves


	3. Fuck Lady Luck

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, i have a brief message, BigHit and BTS are the textbook example of disrespect. I mean come on? did you see that shit?who exactly said that was okay?  
> Thank you for the Kudos and the kind comments, i was really nervous to start posting my ideas but your comments make me feel really happy!

Luck? 

Is that what this should be called because in all honestly Hoseok was still in a shitty situation.

Still utterly fucked, and that door did very little to stop the shit storm waiting for him outside, and inside because he was still  _bleeding_ from his two  _gunshot wounds_.

 _Okay, okay. Now is not the time to panic, Hoseok. Maybe we can find a place to hide out for a while so that no one can see me bleeding out onto the floor,_ he thought. Turning slowly and observing the hallway.

Everything looked quite expensive, from the light fixtures that looked like chandeliers, to the mirror lining the walls trimmed in gold. The walls were painted a true blood red and luckily the floor was carpeted black, meaning no one would actually spot his blood trail. 

On the walls was a few portraits of men. They were all astoundingly handsome, but there were two who had individual shots taken of them, one of them was a man who looked more like a boy in his late teens. He was pictured naked and on his back but was covered in flower petals and a material that obscured the view of intimate places, you could see the glint of a nipple piercing and one of his hands was laid close to it, millimeters away from pinching. The look on his face was that of an obvious tease.

Lips sinfully thick, opened slightly for his pink tongue to push at a corner, held a playful smirk. His eyes, lined with brown liner and sparkles, held endless promises and mischief. Fluffy dyed blond hair splayed out seductively.

If Hoseok had to put a name to his look it had to be a fairy, dainty and pretty but a troublemaker none the less.

Hoseok hobbled further, feeling the pressure in his thigh tighten and warmth of blood slide down his leg and leak into his sneakers. But he couldn't stop himself from admiring the next man as well. The picture contrasted greatly with the other mans, this one was in black and white. 

He was sat in a chair that could only be described as a throne, glossy and obnoxious. The man sat leaned back, his head tilted to the side and an eyebrow raised. Lips were just as thick as the last man, also tilted into a smirk, but this one didn't give off a purely teasing feel. It clearly was screaming dominance, daring whomever he had his eyes on to disobey him.

His legs were spread wide, his right hand resting on the arm of the throne and his left hand cupped between his legs, accenting the buldge he had there, rings on most of his long fingers. 

Hoseok felt his face flush slightly after he realised that he stood here admiring these guys as if he wasn't bleeding, so he turned as quickly as he could so that he wouldn't get dizzy from the blood he's lost and tried to look for a bathroom. 

He didn't have to go too far to find it, only needing to turn a corner to a short hallway that lead to a cutain covered doorway where music thumped way too loudly, and was grateful that it happened to be empty, going to the sink to turn on the faucet and quickly running his hands under it, along with a surprisingly soft towel. Then he got to work examining himself.

Hoseok couldn't help but hiss and curse as he tried to clean the wounds, they burned badly but he couldn't leave them like that or he'd get infected. 

The wound on his arm was luckily only a flesh wound, the one in his thigh however still had the bullet inside and Hoseok was too afraid to try to dig it out himself, unsure if he'd just cause more damage. He decided to leave it, remembering hearing about people leaving bullets inside them and living fine after.

Now he had to think of an escape plan. 

He could stay in here? No one had seen him yet and he could probably hide there until closing?

But when they come in surely they'd try to look in the more isolated places as a hiding place? Bathrooms were pretty obviously going to be checked.

Maybe... maybe Hoeok could hide in plane sight? It's a nightclub on a Friday night, it was  _surely_ packed in there. The big crowd could offer more than enough cover, he was pretty much average height anyway so he could blend in. The only thing that would ruin that is that he was fucking  _shot_. 

Hoseok tied the towel around his wound to slow the bleeding and seriously weighed his odds again. If he stayed here those guys would definitely come in here and drag him out by his hair and right back through that back door. 

If he went out into the club, he could hide in plain sight, the bodies in constant motion could hide him well enough, and he could keep an eye out for the guards when he hides in the corner of the club. Then as it closes he could sneak out between the hordes of people and maybe get to a good hiding place. But he was heavily limping and had blood on his clothes, which could attract a  _bit_ of unwanted attention. On the other hand he remembered that clubs were generally dark and people were usually drunk, maybe they wouldn't actually take notice. 

Hoseok decided playing a more offensive role was better than waiting there like a sitting duck, so he took a deep breath and headed out the door after wiping his hands and face again.

The wounded man limped out and faced the opening to the club, gearing himself up to manuever between bodies and avoid death. You'd think getting shot would make you feel like dying was definitive, but it only geared Hoseok to want to live more. 

He started making his way to the curtains, a certain determination flowing through his bloodstream.

As he made these moves his mind regestered that something was just... off. His brain just couldn't place it due to Hoseok chanting that he wouldn't fucking die today repeatedly, and the bumping of the beat and humm of the bass residing in his chest.

His hands gripped the curtain and he took a final breath before he pulled it back, placing a foot through the opening just as he was able to understand what was wrong with this situation.

Aside from the music, there were no other sounds. No hum of people conversing, no feet thumping on the dance floor, no DJ making corney jokes. 

No one was fucking here.

No one besides the three people who were staring at him in confusion and budding hostility. "Who the fuck are  _you?"_

" _Shit,_ " Hoseok hissed. Well that was a flop. He tried to turn and hobble away, to where? He had no clue. But a large hand grabbed his bicep and yanked him back. The hand happened to grip onto his injured arm and pull down the collar of his too big shirt that he'd stolen from some old man's basket at a laudromat. 

Hoseok yelped, the grip was harsh and the pain made his eyes water, he tried to pry the hand off but Hoseok was rather weak, and the man's grip only tightened and shook him around a little as he was drug further into the room. Hoseok could feel himself start to bleed more, and he was forced onto his wounded leg. 

The reaction to the pain wasn't the smartest but he couldn't think straight, his plan was ruined and these people were unfamiliar, meaning he'd stumbled into someone else's territory. He was scared, in pain and starting to feel queasy from blood loss. Hoseok started beating his fist wherever he could reach on the man, or boy, that held him. Hopping on his good leg to kick at him too, screaming to be let go, to just _let his arm go_. 

A particularly good punch to his jaw made him losen his grip and Hoseok slid to the floor, cradling his arm. He gasped and rocked, face red, veins popping and snot running from his nose as he tried to get a hold of his pain.

One of the other men came to hold the boy Hoseok sucker punched back as he tried to stomp the ever living shit out of the wounded man, the other two cautiously edged closer.

"What in the  _fuck_ is going on down here?" A voice boomed. The authority, and bass of the voice quieting the entire room, someone had even cut off the music. 

Hoseok didn't even think before his wails quieted to pained sobs and whimpers, still rocking and trying to find a way to ease the pain and bleed on their floors less.

"Some dude just barged in here! and when Kookie tried to stop him from running away he flipped out and punched him!" A thick, deep voice spoke back, belonging to one of the men who stood back and watched the altercation. Through Hoseok's exhaustion he could recognize that the other one was the fairy from the framed hallway picture. 

He looked immensely disturbed as he warily eyed, Hoseok. "He's injured." He said, his voice carried like velvet.

The exhaustion started to make Hoseok sag, and lose awareness of his surroundings. He hadn't known that the owner of the commanding voice, clearly the boss, had appeared near him, circling him and pulling the shirt down to see the tattoo that was placed on him by force like a brand 3 years ago when he was officially made a prostitute for his old gang. 

The man hummed and traced it lightly before grabbing Hoseok's face, turning it to face him, making him whimper. His face was hazy but he still made out that he was the  _other_ man from the hallway pictures. But now Hoseok couldn't see the sex appeal, he could only register danger. "What's a Flower doing over in Snake territory, hm?"

"Sn...snake?" he slurred before passing out.

Luck seemed to never be on Hoseok's side.

 


	4. Who the hell are The Snakes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a little while, but here's the update! I'm absolutely destroyed, Bangtan is too powerful. Anyway, in this chapter i poorly describe Hoseokkies panic attack and have more references to some past abuse along with a teeny bit of self hatred.  
> i feel like this gets worse and worse lol but since you're here go ahead and read to determine for yourself. And if you feel like it, tell me your favourite track on LY:T and why.

Hoseok woke up very slowly. His mind was foggy and his limbs didn't listen when he told them to move. 

_Where am I? What happened?_ All he could remember was running from the gang and being shot.

A cold chill made it's way down his back, they'd shot him and he'd fallen. He must've been caught, they got him and now Jamie was going to do whatever he'd want to him. Hoseok had made himself useless, a disobedient whore was a whore that lost revenue. Not only that, but he had beaten Jamie, wounding his pride probably making him a laughing stock. He would no doubt want to prove himself again.

Hoseok's head felt like it was in a bubble, not only was his vision failing him, but his hearing was distant and the headache didn't make things any better. But even through this Hoseok could make out that there were multiple people in the room with him, and that there was something over his head.

He remained still and forced his breathing to stay even, if they hadn't tried to hurt him yet that meant they were waiting until he woke up. In that case he'll never wake up.

Hoseok flexed his arms minutely, confirming that his arms were infact zip-tied behind his back, that made things a little more difficult.

Slowly the sound of whoever was surrounding him started to clear, they were all talking in English, too fast for Hoseok to decipher the conversation especially in his condition. The way they spoke though came off as native speakers, solidyfying in his mind that he was back with his gang. 

A sudden breeze alerted Hoseok to yet another predicament. 

He was only in his underwear.

This entire situation hit him in a forceful wave of deja vu. Except the first time he woke up naked on his back, strapped to an old dirty mattress with a cloth shoved down his throat while men circled around him. Oggling him like they were looking at some type of dog or a new car, inspecting him everywhere. He could still feel the hands twisting, pulling and spreading him any way they needed.

Now Hoseok was faced down on what he assumes is a floor, zip-tied with a bag over his head. He didn't know if it was better or worse that he couldn't see who was around him, but he soon settled on worse because his nerves were an absolute wreck.

The talking had died down some when the breeze hit Hoseok's body, but the feeling of a new set of eyes almost made him flinch. The eyes were circling him, inspecting him. 

_Yeah, this is definitely worse._ Hoseok couldn't stop his breath from coming quicker, still he remained slack on the ground.

This one's voice was close and came out deep, voice nearly raspy. His english accented and slow. "I know you're awake, kid. So stop pretending, we have some questions for you."

Who has an accent like that in the gang? The boss had some strict rules, he didn't like "outsiders", barely even tolerated the ones smuggled in and forced to work for him. And what questions could they possibly have for him? They weren't the type to have a trial, just swift punishment.

As he started thinking he remained still and missed the movement of the man coming closer, bending down, until a hand ghosted up his arm. He immediately bristled, defenses hidden from 7 years ago rising to the surface despite the training to break the mannerisms, bringing his leg up and kicking with all his might and letting out a desperate shriek. 

His foot caught somewhere broad, but not soft, maybe a chest. He heard the wind being knocked from their lungs and the adrenaline kicked in, and he didn't think.

He just attacked, forgetting that there were more people in the room and maybe they had weapons.

After the swift kick, he knew where this person was and decided to follow, pushing off at the knee of his other leg ignoring the feeling in his thigh and shouldered into the chest more until they both fell onto the ground, Hoseok on top. He reveled in the fact that although he hadn't fought like this in a long while he was still quite fast. Using the leverage of being on top he adjusted his position and pressed his foot where he figured their throat was. Basking in the sound of the man below him suffocating.

His victory was short-lived though when someone kicked him in the side, and making him fly off with incredible force and land in a horrible position for his shoulder. 

He pushed back up with a grunt only to feel something press to his forehead, the safety clicking off. 

_Hoseok you truly are, a giant buffoon._ He couldn't help but think to himself.

Hoseok's mouth instantly felt like cotton, and a cold sweat broke over him. It didn't take long before he started quivering, his body giving way to something he'd always hated himself for. It always happened when Hoseok felt helpless and scared, like the world was crumbling around him. 

When his father died. When he found his mother after her first OD. When his mom brought home her boyfriend that beat the shit out of him. During his training.

He lived constantly haunted by the thought that at anytime he could have an episode that would completely leave him at the mercy of those around him.

His skin prickled, buzzing like the blood in his veins stopped circulating, and his chest felt like it was paralyzed, heart stuttering and lungs not expanding. The panic shrouded his mind, thinking about how trapped he is, how he can't get away from his fate. How unfair it all was. This life was not what he'd deserved, he just wanted to live. Why was that so bad? Why was everything so set on ensuring his death?

Hoseok's legs gave out, and he fell back onto his ass, leaning against the wall so he didn't feel completely lost. A knot tightening in his stomach and he simutaenously felt as if he was going to vomit and urinate. Hot tears sprang from his eyes and he became hyperaware of the sack over his head, hysterically babbling and fighting the zip-ties not caring that they're cutting into his skin.

_Lay down, I need to lay down. Get loose, I need- I'm going to die. I_ \- Hoseok's thoughts began to run together and he was sure he was going insane. 

Along with losing control of his mind, he lost control of his bladder and bile rose up his throat which he immediately began choking on.

The next second the sack was ripped from his head and he leaned over to spill his guts, still managing to make even more of a mess on himself.

Once he'd managed to stop he sat back up, eyes rolling as he adjusts to the new lighting then stiffening back up when he finds four unfamiliar men standing a little too close for comfort all staring at him with varying levels of confusion and disgust. 

Their gazes and close proximity made him self concious and he curled into himself more, grimacing when his foot landed in his own urine, and turning himself to the side. It didn't hide him from them but it stopped him from seeing the men so it helped. He still desperately sucked in air and clutched at his chest. 

He couldn't form words anymore, only making pathetic groans and whimpers as he focused on steadying his breathing.

Hoseok felt pathetic, there he was, in a life or death situation (again) and he was sitting in his own filth, quivering like a cold chihuaua, and crying. 

Maybe he should just die.

None of the men moved though all seemingly stuck in place, murmuring to each other quietly, still Hoseok couldn't make out what they were saying. This time Hoseok was just too tired to even try to keep up.

His vision was going spotty as a tall, broad figure stepped into the room from the open door on the other side of the four men, saying something that commanded the attention of said men. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hoseok dreamt of nothing, or at least he couldn't remember if he'd dreamt. 

But that was typical though, He hadn't actually dreamt anything pleasant in a long time, if he did dream it was always a nightmare. A mixture of his time at the gang and his abduction with the delightful addition of his gruesome murder.

What wasn't typical though, was that he woke up on something comfortable. His mattress was hard as a rock and the week he'd spent on the street had him sleeping on literal rocks. Right now he was on a bed that felt like a cloud, in a room that was too big to be for someone like him. He had even been changed into new clothes, a long-sleeved shirt with a worn out neckline that slipped from his shoulders and pajama pants that were slightly too short. The room was dimly lit from the setting sun but this wasn't the room he was in before, this one seemed less for interrogation and more for guests. There was artwork on the walls and the room just screamed expensive although it tried to seem plain. 

The bed was sat up high off the ground and above it hung a small chandelier, the walls were a light gray and the chair sat in the corner of the room along with the night stand, bookshelf and desk were white. The carpet was also white and looked extemely soft, which he confirmed soon when he could hear footsteps coming close. He doesn't know why his first thought was to hide under the bed like some scared child or puppy but he does anyway, rolling from under the duvet then quietly rolling under the frame, curling up as tightly as he could. His eyes wide as he watched the door and listened to the footfalls. 

The door swung open, almost silently against the carpet and Hoseok could see their bare feet. He expected them to be alarmed at his absense but instead he only heard a small sigh followed by a light chuckle before the man padded into the room, making his way toward the night stand. He sat whatever he had been carrying down then turned on his heel and padded back to the door, closing it behind himself.

Hoseok was confused, who were these people? He was even more confused when he realized that although he'd been shot and wasn't able to care for the wounds, they were treated and bandaged. 

He slowly crawled from under the bed to look at what was left for him. Food, hot food with a glass of water, and 2 pills.

_No, seriously, what the fuck is going on?_

The food smelled lovely, it was a pasta dish and it wasn't a tiny serving either, it was heaping. But Hoseok didn't touch it, he wanted to, but his ever cautious mind held him back. It ignored his stomach which hadn't been adequately filled in a week and a half, instead screaming that surley it was poisoned. They were toying with him, there was no way anyone would feed and clothe him when they knew where he was from. He was dirty and a fugitive, completely unwanted and useless. 

_It's definitely drugged, they'll probably throw you out to your death. Gotta stay alert._

So he just slinked back to the bed and slid under it, taking the soft duvet along with him. 

At times like this he was glad he was so slim, hiding came quite easily and he was usually quite comfortable. Like now as he slots himself against the back wall and wraps the duvet around himself, sighing as the heaviness of it lays on his chest, making him feel grounded and safer.

The sky blackened, brightened, then began to darken again but Hoseok refused to come out, preferring the limited space than being in the open.

The plate was taken and replaced twice but Hoseok never took a bite, even though his body was begging, his throat was parched and his stomach rumbled loudly almost nonstop. And Hoseok hadn't slept at all, but he seemed to be giving in at the moment.

The door slid open just as Hoseok's eyelids began to fall shut, surprising him because he hadn't heard footsteps. Two walked in this time, it seemed as if they tried to sneak up on him because of the pause at the door and the disappointed noises they made. They wandered in nonetheless one choosing to hop onto the bed and the other going to the night stand.

"Didn't eat again, huh?" The sound of the voice startled Hoseok. He spoke in English but slower than any of them had before, he was making sure that his words were easy to catch. "You gotta eat you know? It's like, necessary."

Hoseok placed this mans voice to one he heard previously in the club. A tall, tanned, handsome man with hair that would be bad on other people but looked great on him. Hosek didn't reply but kept tense, he couldn't tell where one of them had gone but he also had to keep an eye on the one he could see. 

The other one was at the nightstand gathering everything brought for him. "It's now two days that we know you haven't eaten. We know you were on the run for a week, too. The Ricci's have been looking for you, came to the club. Said you nearly beat a fellow member, Jody or something, to death after you smuggled the gang's drug money."

Hoseok made a sound of disbelief, but really should he be? Beaten to death? Drug money?  _Fellow member?_   Of course they would exaggerate like that, if they made Hoseok seem like big trouble and not just some escaped hooker they could be sure that other gangs wouldn't let him stay on their territory.

It would be less embarassing too.

"Liars," is all Hoseok spat out in indignation.

"Are they? With what you did to Yoongi it seems like you can be pretty lethal if you want to." Another voice chipped in. This one Hoseok immediately recognized belonged to the fairy. "Why don't you come out and tell your side then?"

What do they take him for? An idiot? There is no way Hoseok is coming out there. He is in no condition to fight or run if things take a turn for the worse. 

When they got no response from Hoseok they only sighed, the fairy taking the tray and the tan one following behind mumbling something.

Hoseok immediately dived into his thoughts. Why would they be telling him this? There is literally no benefit for them to talk to him like this, like he was human and like they  _weren't_ going to just throw him out like trash. Like his health and opinion mattered.

He's just trash anyway.

Hoseok really can't help but wonder, just who the hell were the snakes?


	5. Fucking Dumbass

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoseok sees he's in a tough spot and makes a quick plan.

Hoseok gave in.

There was just no way for him to stay under the bed any longer, his hunger, thirst, and bladder finally winning the battle he was engaged in with himself.

He couldn't hear anyone roaming the halls so he deemed it safe to slide from the safety of the bed frame, still crouching low just in case they try to sneak up on him again and examining the dinner they had left him. Burger King, a simple burger and onion rings with the regular water and medication that he  _definitely_ was not going to take.

The food that was placed on the nightstand was long cold but he couldn't care less, savagely snatching up the cold burger and shoving over half of it into his mouth before grabbing a handful of onion rings and pushing them into his mouth as well. He's sure he looks gross right now and knows that his father would pitch a fit if he ever witnessed him eating like this. 

But he was dead and looking like an animal was the least of his Hoseok's worries right now, he was weak. Hungry, thirsty, tired and shot. Not to mention trapped with a bunch of strangers and also on the run. 

After practically inhaling his food the snatched up the water, spilling some of it on the carpet, and chugged it down. As he drank he did a quick sweep over the room again, this time noticing that there was only one door to the room, the one leading to the outside. That wasn't all that odd in itself but he then noticed the windows, they were too small for a person to crawl through, high enough to where it would be too difficult to try to escape through, and it was barred. Clearly, they didn't want anyone getting out of here.

Slowly he pulled the glass from his lips, standing and turning to the door with a narrowed gaze. 

This place wasn't a guest room, it was definitely a prison, an elaborate one. There was no where to even have clothes if you were visiting, and the widows clearly meant he was below ground. Hoseok went to the door, crouching once more, trying to look into the keyhole, except he couldn't, even the damn door knob was fake.

He had to admit, it was smart. They read him well, noting his reaction to the room that was clearly meant for bloody interrogation they figured it would be best to trick him into thinking they decided to help him. Lead him to false security. 

But they underestimated Hoseok because he wasn't an idiot.

Now he had to figure out how to get the hell out of there, there was no way he could get out of the room himself because of the doors lack of a pickable lock. So that meant he had to wait until someone came to open the door, over take them and try to escape without alerting the rest of them.

He thought about making noise now, to draw someone here, but decided against it. They would come to try to give him false comfort and usually they came alone.

Standing from his position he eyed the room, this time for a possible weapon. No pens, no lamp, the desk and nightstand were even bolted to the ground. 

 _Man, you guys thought of everything, huh?_ He thought, huffing before stepping back placing is hands on his hips before smacking himself on the forehead. They left him his food on a tray, that's how he'll take them out.

A smirk played at Hoseok's lips,  _not everything I guess._

For now all he could do is wait.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the sun started to rise Hoseok realized he'd put himself in a bit of a situation. He had to pee, and hadn't slept in 2 days. How was he going to do this if he was constantly trying to focus on not wetting his pants _again_? These men holding him hostage most likely were well rested, and with empty bladders. He figured that this might have been part of their act, get him to drink water so he would have to ask them to go to the bathroom, to rely on them and build a small amount of trust.

It was actually very smart, he kind of felt impressed with their tactic.

But he didn't have time to actually think about that because he could hear the feet. Finally they were coming.

Hopping from on top the bed, where he laid to pass the time, Hoseok snatched the tray up not caring for the glass falling to the carpeted floor with a muted sound and pressed behind the door. The air in his lungs got caught while he waited, from his postition he could hear the faint sounds of tapping. Then the door swung open and a new man walked in. He practically dwarfed Hoseok with a muscular physique and jet black hair, he couldn't see his face because the guy was walking in front of him. 

He made a noise and started to speak toward the bed where he figured Hoseok was still hiding. "You finally ate, huh? That's just swell. You spilled your water though." His voice was laced with sarcasm and he stood with his arms crossed. "Listen kid I need that tray back."

When he got no response the guy huffed, clearly irritated, before dropping to one knee and peering under the bed, moving to reach into the nest of covers.

 _Now or never Hoseok,_ he thought before he silently paced forward, tray over his head and bringing it down onto the man. 

It didn't knock him out but Hoseok could tell that it made him too disoriented to actually do anything so he took his chance and ran from the room. 

The hall looked like a dungeon, walls of cement along with the cold floors that Hoseok's bare feet slapped against. He tried every door he came across, finding most of them locked, ones that weren't were empty.

"C'mon, c'mon where are the fucking stairs?" He mumbled to himself, sliding into the wall because he wasn't able to slow down for the turn, his thigh protested but he kept going seeing the stairs at the end of the hall. 

But his hope dissolved a bit when he heard a yell of fury, turning his head back for a second watching in horror as the guy he hit slid into the wall just as he did before launching after Hoseok. The look in his eyes sent chills of terror down his spine, he looked angry yes, but mostly he looked like he was having fun. Like chasing the terrified boy down made his entire year. The blood running down his face made it no better.

Hoseok turned back around, running faster and harder, taking the stairs 2 steps at a time, getting to the door and swinging it open just enough to slip his lithe body through and slam it shut, twisting the lock into place just as the body of the terrifying giant slammed into it. 

He slammed into it again before laughing hysterically, "Hey, kid! That was good, real good. But you're not getting out of here... I'm gonna catch you little rabbit."

The man's tone was much too elated, Hoseok was sure he was crazy. The next time he slammed into the door the boy kicked into gear, finally running from the scene. 

The mans yells and slams against the door would definitely raise alarms and just standing there after doing all that to escape wasn't a wise decision.

The halls were confusing, twisting like a maze and none of the doors would open so he could hide in them. 

 _Where the hell am I?!_ Hoseok was growing frantic, more so when he could hear the door splintering and different voices yelling, trying to figure out what the hell was happening. They got nothing but crazed laughter in response.

The frantic man abandoned the doors just trying to focus on finding the exit. 

" _Where are you going to go?_ " The man's voice was eerily smooth. "Do you know where to go? Is your plan to just scurry all over the place? Hoping you'll come across the exit? You're not going to get out of here."

Hoseok was panting now, his gait slowing down until he slumped against a door, startling when the knob turned and opened slightly. Without hesitation he flung himself inside, swinging it closed silently, crouching down and looking through the keyhole, trying to control his breathing and his heart. This was the most exersize Hoseok has gotten in years and he isn't sure if his poor heart could take anymore. 

The mans slow footsteps came close and Hoseok held his breath, doing everything in his power to remain undiscovered. 

He didn't breathe again until the man's silhouette slowly paced by and walked away, foot steps disappearing with him. He let out a quiet sigh and waited a little bit longer, then let out a tiny disbelieving laugh. 

 _So much for catching the_ "little rabbit"  _huh?_ Hoseok edged the door open slightly, peeking out in the direction he saw the man go before turning in the opposite direction. But as he moved out of the room he face planted directly into someone's groin, reaching out to steady himself and push off on their thighs.  

 _Well maybe I_ am _a fucking dumbass._

 


	6. A New Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update?! I must be crazy or something lol

Hoseok didn't move, didn't breathe, didn't even look up until his hair was gripped tightly and was yanked back to look into the face of his assailant. The blood ran down his forehead and right temple, smeared around his eye where he must've wiped it away. The smile on his face making Hoseok whimper, not fighting back because he could tell it would be fruitless. He wasn't in the postition to defend himself and flee again because this guy didn't have his guard down. No more element of surprise.

"I told you I'd get you." He spoke smoothly to Hoseok before shouting that he _"caught the little shit"_. He tugged Hoseok up by his hair and started to walk back the way they came. "Come on, since you're up here you can finally tell us what the _fuck_ you're doing here."

Hoseok cried out whenever he was yanked too hard, turning them to quiet whimpers when the guy yanked harder and told him to shut the hell up. He would beg and grovel but he knew that would only fuel the man and he didn't want to feed whatever fetish this guy had, noticing the hard on he sported.

They walked past the door Hoseok locked him behind, noting the door is off one of its hinges and the wall was splintered. _What the fuck is this guy? The Hulk?_

Hoseok assumes he wasn't moving fast enough because the next moment the guy groaned letting go of his hair before snatching him up and tossing him on his shoulder. He didn't even try to struggle, body too tired and knowing he wouldn't break free anyway.

Soon the pair walked into a darkend room and Hoseok was roughly manhandled into a chair, the guy not moving far, keeping a hand on the chair. In front of him was a long table, six chairs lined up side by side, currently only 2 were taken. One was the man from the club, the other was a new face. He was wildly handsome, lips more full than the fairy, wide eyes and distinct nose. His black hair swept from his face and his expression was schooled into a emotionless slate. The man he met before wasn't so expressionless, hints of amusement toyed with his features. Eyes sparkling with something Hoseok didn't have the mental capability to decipher right now. Their stares unnerved Hoseok, making him squirm in his seat eyes flicking between the two before settling on his lap.

The man beside him snorted and Hoseok wished he had that tray again.

The emotionless one spoke first, "I see you decided to go on a bit of a spree?"

Hoseok didn't answer. He didn't know if he should answer. If these guys were like his old gang then he definitely should keep his mouth closed.

He spoke again. "You're lucky no one was in the club, it would have made everything so much worse for you. We don't take well to strangers coming here and causing a commotion, especially trouble makers from rivals. You worked for Ricci, no?"

Hoseok was going to answer, but he had to first form the sentence in his head so that it would make sense to the english speakers. They were obviously Asian but he didn't want to make a fool of himself by babbling away in Korean and they can't understand. But the man beside him must've mistaken it for defiance because he was gripping the back of his neck and growling lowly into his ear. Telling him just how he was going to get the answers out of him if he decided to continue being difficult.

The rough words and grip made Hoseoks eyes widen in fear and he quickly cried out his reply, "Yes! Yes, Ricci work for!"

The club man tilted his head an leaned a bit forward, "Where are you from?"

The grip was still on his neck, daring Hoseok to defy them. "K-Korea."

He nodded at that, replying to him in their given language. "Speak Korean then. Let go of him."

Hoseok breathed a lot easier after he was released and thanked the man, who only waved his hand lazily.

The pretty man drew Hoseok's attention again. "Some of Ricci's lackeys came here, they were looking for you. Said you really fucked up a higher up you were working with when he found out you were stealing drug money, is that true?"

Hoseok began to sweat, because that was kind of true? Except it wasn't as simple as that. "It wasn't that simple! They- they twisted it into something it's not!"

The two men quirked an eyebrow, the man from the club tilting his head, eyes now turning dark. "Those track marks make sense with the story. They said you became a druggie-"

"No, no, no! A lie!" Hoseok sat straighter in the chair. They were going that far? If this kept up there was no way he would be able to get anywhere without the threat of being turned over to them.

"Oh? So tell us what all this actually is?" The pretty one said.

Hoseok turned to look at him as he spoke, hands gesturing desperately. "I did hit him! I did, but I didn't do it like how they said! That money was stolen but it was from my work, I earned that-"

The man that chased him down earlier snorted, "You are not making your case any better."

"I wasn't even a mule, and- and these," Hoseok lifted his sleeves and spread his fingers. "they were punishment for when I disappointed! I hit Jamie because he was gonna do it again, he said he'd kill me!"

The room was quiet for a second after that, aside from Hoseok's frantic breathing as he looked at the three men in the room with him. Dear god he needed them to believe him, maybe they would feel pity for him and actually let him continue in his escape. Their faces were conflicted though.

"If you weren't a mule then what were you?" The crazy one asked, eyes narrowed.

Hoseok went to answer but felt the answer get caught in his throat, eyes flying between them all. What if they made him work for them like that again? He came too far to be forced back into that life. His hesitance upset the men, the two seated men scoffed and looked at each other. The crazy one went to grip Hoseok again. The negative reactions made him yell out, tears pricking in his eyes. "A whore! I was a whore! Please! _Please_ , I don't want to do it any more, please don't make me!"

Hoseok slid off the chair and away from the hands of the man, shaking and crying. This was really it, his whole life is only ever going to be him being pimped out to random people.

"What's your name?" The handsome one asked, pulling out his phone to type.

"H-Hoseok, Jung Hoseok." He whimpered between sobs.

"Tell us Hoseok, how did you come to work for the Ricci's? And why don't you want to work for them anymore?" The club man asked.

Hoseok looked up at him in confusion, "I never  _wanted_ to work for them? I had to? They took me, m-made me do it all."

"You were smuggled in?" The crazed one had a perplexed expression. Just then the door swung open making Hoseok flinch, and in walked the fairy and the tan man with weird hair.

"You called?" He said gripping a thin laptop and trudging to a chair.

"Look into him, Jung Hoseok, dig it all. Want to make sure he isn't lying." The handsome man said with a bored sigh and laid his gaze back onto Hoseok. "Smuggled, huh? That's odd, Ricci usually only deals with locals, doesn't take to foreigners well."

"Which is fucking ironic, as he's a second generation Italian." The tanned one snorted, typing away on his laptop.

"Let me rephrase, any foreigner that doesn't look like  _him._ " The handsome one said a small smile quirking his full lips.

"I knew that," Hoseok spoke softly. He was tired and knew that soon he was going to be forced down memory lane. "He made it obvious who he favored during training, liked to make us bleed."

The fairy sharply inhaled from his spot on the club mans lap, brows furrowed at Hoseok's too skinny frame sat on the cold floor with his eyes far too distant. He looked to the crazed man and practically hissed at him, "What are you doing? Get him off the ground!"

The man grumbled but did as he was told, gripping Hoseok from under his armpit and easing him back into the chair, knowing that if he was too rough the fairy would have his head.

"Hoseok, you said training?" The club man said moving the fairy's head a little so he could see.

"They tie us down to beds, blind us with bright lights, gag us. Teach us how to please our clients. Be quiet, until they tell us to make noise, don't touch the client, don't make eye contact with the client, don't-" Hoseok was spiralling, he could tell, the haze in front of his eyes told him that he was going to fall into a fit.

"Hey! Hey, it's alright you don't have to go into detail. Just tell us the basics? Whatever you're not too uncomfortable with?" The fairy spoke a little unsure, but his soft tone helped Hoseok a lot, people never spoke to him like that. Not since he was really young, when his family would treat him like some precious jewel.

The tone made him feel safer, senses slightly dulled in his small haze. He curled up, sitting his chin onto his knees and his fingers picking at the skin on his feet. "All of it is scary though? And you'll just kill me anyway. When I'm not useful anymore."

The room went quiet, even the tapping of computer key's halted for a moment. They couldn't lie and say it wasn't a possibility, Hoseok wasn't an idiot so he wouldn't buy it if they did say it, and he'd probably clam up refusing to say anything in hopes of survival.

"See? It's pointless, my emotions don't matter so let me tell the story." He said.

The fairy looked torn, like he wanted to say something but didn't know if he should, it made Hoseok wonder if the fairy was like him here. Just a hole to fill and not for speaking.

"I was fourteen when they took me off the street, but life wasn't all that good anyway. I was running from my mom's boyfriend when they got me, ironically he wanted to fuck me. They kept me for seven years, only let me work the streets after I became of age. I always got the weird clients, I was the favorite of the one that wanted to fuck corpses because I was 'dead behind the eyes but warm, like a fresh body'. All that time I couldn't help but think, there has got to be something better than this for me? I can't just lay here until I caught something and was killed beacause I wasn't fuckable anymore, right? So I started saving some money, they barely gave us enough money for food, and I usually used mine for helping the others who where hungrier and weaker than me. It was a whole network there, a small community, I'm sure my running away caused them punishment." Hoseok paused thinking about all the people there, mainly the girl with mocha skin that was born in Russia. They had grown quite fond of each other, always teaching each other bits of the languages they mainly spoke. But they never told each other their names. They wouldn't have to lie to guards if they were asked if we knew who the others were. 

The tanned man sat back from his laptop, looking from the screen back to Hoseok. Scanning the boys frame, smaller than average due to the malnourishment he suffered. He looked from him to the four other men in the room, they all looked mildly frustrated. Most likely because they were starting to tell that this whole stuation wasn't going to go the way they planned. Especially now, because Taehyung has pretty much solidified the boy's story. But he wasn't going to interrupt him, figuring that letting this stuff of his chest could possiby help him in the long run.

"Jamie found me adding to my stash because of a surprise visit. He was always picking on me, he was the one who figured out my fear of needles back in training, so he used them to keep me in line. That's how they worked, find a fear and then use it. He was coming at me with the biggest needle I'd ever seen, and whatever inside it wasn't what he usually used. Jamie was nasty, sometimes it'd be heroin, others just simple saline. He liked to toy with our heads. Anyway, I hit him over the head with a lamp and ran away. Eventually coming over to you. Who are you guys anyway?" Hoseok asked them but never took his eyes from their shoes.

"Did you find out everything?" The handsome man asked the man on the computer who nodded.

"I found his information from Korea, said his sister reported him missing. I had to go into the Ricci's database, they are way too easy by the way, and uh, let's just say that I'm positive that he's being honest." he said and before the handsome man could berate him with questions he added. "I sent the info to everyone anyway."

Hoseok felt slightly odd about that. They kept files on him? And now these people would know absolutely everything about his time there. "Isn't keeping files kind of stupid?" He spoke before he thought, flinching when he thought about what he said.

He wasn't expecting the chuckle from the crazed man. "Absolutely, but I guess the Ricci's think they're untouchable, whoever does their filing and spyware is clearly a quack though, it didn't take long for Taehyung to hack in."

A name. He told him one of their names. That could be either good or bad.

"You asked who we are, Hoseok. But before we tell you that, I have two more questions for you." The man from the club leaned forward, the boy on his lap smirking at Hoseok.  "My first is, how much do you hate the Ricci's?"

Hoseok furrowed his brows, _that's a pretty dumb question._ "I hate them with my entire soul. They stole my life from me, took away my dignity."

The man smiles, deep dimples caving in his cheeks. "Good. My second question to you is, if you had the chance to destroy the Ricci's, completely dismantle their system, would you?"

There was a knowing glint behind all the men's eyes, their lips spreading into smiles when they saw a fire ignite in Hoseok's, they all knew that feeling. They all had that same desire.

"Of fucking course I would." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The good shit's coming


	7. Confused

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi, i know it's been a little while and im sorry for making you wait but it's been a little rough for me and i needed some time to get myself together.

Confusion.

That's what Hoseok would pin this feeling as if he were ever asked. 

He was confused as to why he was here, who these people were and why they were being so... _weird._  

It had been nearly 2 weeks since that whole interrogation fiasco and he still had close to no answers, the only thing he'd gotten from that encounter was their names and that they all hate the Ricci mafia. 

Jeongguk was the massive guy who had a fetish for scaring the shit out of Hoseok and pulverizing doors. Taehyung was the tall, tan man with weird hair and was always carrying around some form of technology. Jimin was the fairy that had a thousand secrets behind his eyes. Namjoon was the incredibly domineering man from the club, he and Seokjin were co-leaders of this litle team. Seokjin was the stoic man (which Hoseok now knew was only used when he mean business) with a much too handsome face. They'd explained that Yoongi, the guy he literally tried to strangle with his  _foot,_ was out on a mission.

That made Hoseok slightly more comfortable because the last time he beat up a gang member well... he ended up shot and being held prisoner by another gang.

Besides their names they didn't divulge any other information to him and they still keep him in the prison room. He's sure that it's because they have a bunch of top secret gang stuff that they don't want him to see.

And that... only makes Hoseok feel something dangerous. Something that got him into trouble long ago and something he had to neglect these past years.

His curiosity. But he knew that couldn't end well for him so he tried to ignore it.

But no matter what he still wanted to get up and explore, to peep at all the things they had hidden away in the building. Hoseok had realised this wasn't a house a while ago, when he noticed the initial layout and the amount of meeting rooms they had. Other than the fact that it was a place to eat, this was definitely a place where business is done. All the torture, all the deals, maybe even coordinations, are most likely done here. His theory had been further solidified when Jimin had quickly ushered him back to the basement when a buzzing noise was made, which meant someone was waiting to enter the building, and Seokjin cursed saying that he'd "forgotten about the meeting I scheduled".

Which was another thing that confused Hoseok. 

In the mafia, it is customary for the host of the meetings to provide the guests with arm candy. Someone to warm their laps or to fondle mindlessly as they talked about whatever they needed to. Hoseok was surprised that they never used him. Never even brought up the topic of using him. But then again maybe he isn't so surprised because Hoseok  _is_ an outsider.

Yet again, the confusion never really seems to stop. If he was such an outsider why did the five men allow him to sit and eat with them now? Why would they act so gentle with him? Even before Hoseok took the chance to actually eat with them all, they would bring his meal into his "room" like they usually did, but this time the person would bring their own food also. They would sit and eat with Hoseok, speaking to him softly as if he were a small frightened animal. Which, to be fair, he probably did seem like one being so unfairly small compared to them all. Even Jimin, who was slightly shorter than Hoseok, was still bigger in mass and could easily pick him up (which he demonstrated the first time Hoseok inched into the dining area on his own). 

It made him feel conflicted, why were they being so nice? why would they feed him so well, even going as far as to beg him to eat a bit more on Taehyung's part. It made no sense? Maybe it was a set up, to get him to trust them and be thankful to them so that they could finally put him back on a corner and Hoseok would feel indebted? Or better yet, they were fattening him up because they didn't want to sell a sickly whore?

That was it. That had to be it. Why else would they be doing all this?

Hoseok shook his head and flipped over onto his belly, closing his eyes and willing the thoughts away. It was late and he should be sleeping, Seokjin would be able to tell if he stayed up like this and Jimin would worry about him.

The thought startled Hoseok enough to make his eyes open again. Why would he think that? Why would it matter to him what Seokjin would think? Or how Jimin would worry  over him? 

 _Why would they worry, idiot? You don't matter to them,_ a voice whispered through him. It made Hoseok a little upset to think about it. 

About how he was nothing and no one, about how they're just gonna put him in some type of brothel anyway, how he wasn't wanted. 

How he wasn't needed.

A dull ache started in Hoseok's chest and he rubbed at it in hopes that it would go away. 

 _You aren't special, you don't matter, no one fucking wants you here, you're a fool if you think otherwise,_ the voice whispered again, full of malice and sick joy at his suffering. Hoseok could vaguely place it as Jamie's. 

The ache got worse and he rubbed harder, a tiny whimper falling past his lips. It was true, Hoseok never mattered to anyone, not his family and certainly not the people who are... what are they doing? Holding him captive? Taking care of him? Both? 

It's all so confusing and Hoseok just wants it all to shut off. The pain, the voice, the conflict, the confusion. It's all too much right now and Hoseok finds himself crying again, tears soaking his face and his pillow.

He can't keep doing this, it hurts too badly not to know. He needs answers and damn it he's going to get them.

Hoseok wipes his face and slides off the high bed, walking out of the room. The hall was dark and cold but Hoseok trudged on, ignoring the cold on his bare legs and feet, a peculiar determination on his face. 

Once he'd gotten up the stairs though, he faltered. He has no idea what to do now, where does he go? He has no idea where the men spend their nights or if they're even here right now. Everything is eerily quiet and Hoseok has the time to take in how dark it is in here. 

Shrinking in on himself he contemplates just going back to his "room" and waiting until morning.

 _No_ , Hoseok thinks to himself,  _I need to find out something, anything. Just answer to one question at least._  

So he pushed on, taking timid steps toward the room Jeongguk took him to for his interrogation. Once he stood infront of the sliding doors he realised just how expesive everything looked, even the doors themselves seemed to be made of wood that costs more than Hoseok himself. 

The boy huffed, reached out and pulled the door back peeking his head in, only entering when he saw that the room was vacant. The seats were still there, in a semi circle around the one chair in the middle and the ominous lighting was still on. 

Hoseok noticed that all the chairs had different designs, clearly showing that it belonged to specific members, now wondering how he seemed to have missed these when he was brought here but he figures the men and Jeongguks looming presence were particularly distracting. The two in the middle he remembers was Seokjin and Namjoon's. Namjoon's was the same one from his picture in the club; tall and black. The framework was carved into roses and thorns with a glossy finish, the cushion on the back and seat were also black and had a velvet finish.

Seokjin's throne was black and gold, and it was as obnoxious as a throne could get. 

His throne looked exactly what you would imagine from a fairytale king. The back was mostly gold aside from a small column of black leather cushion down the middle above that was some sort of crest that seemed important, along the back of his chair was a carved snake, the head of it raised from the rest hood splayed on either side of the head and its mouth open exposing its fangs. 

Upon further investigation Hoseok realises that Namjoon's has a snake too, only his is more intwined with the initial decor of the roses and the thorns so it disguises itself, the beady eyes seem to watch the ex-prostitute from where it's disguised on the shoulder of the throne and it makes him shiver.

He moves on to where he remembers Taehyung sitting and gasps. The tall mans throne doesn't quietly disguise his snake like Namjoon's nor uses it as a minor accessory like Seokjin, but his chair seems to be entirely made of the snakes. Intertwining and knotting themselves together, sometimes the head of two would be peeking out and peering at each other, there was two snake heads on either shoulder of the throne peering out further than the others. Their heads were multi-colored snout black, head yellow, then black again, followed by another thin yellow line and red behind it. The pattern repeats itself and the light flickers making it seem like the snakes move. The cushion is black and made of leather. 

The seat next to Taehyungs seems to be made like hundreds of knives thrown together, but with blood splattered over them. His snake isn't at all diguised and lays on the arm rest black head gradually fading into a gold body, the tongue flicked out permanently as the eyes stare.

The throne directly on the side of Seokjin was surprisingly pretty, it was a white throne with flowers bloomed over the surface. When you looked from far away it looked like it didn't belong with the rest. Hoseok immediately placed this with Jimin, recalling his soft demeanor and how he often has flowers on his clothes. But as Hoseok stepped closer he could tell that the flowers were spattered and stained with blood, with skills strategically placed in the middle of them. The man's snake wasn't hard to find, Hoseok sees it immediately, shooting out, fangs bared and ready to bite, eyes glittering like they were made of diamond, where Jimin's bicep would be.

It truly speaks of Jimin's character, he's very beautiful and seems delicate, but Hoseok could sense that Jimin was not to be fucked with. He walks with a certain finesse that says that he's absolutely positive that no matter where he goes, no one can do  _shit_ to him. Hoseok admires that about the man.

The last one though, was impressive. It was long, so that it can be laid on or to allow multiple people to sit on it, and a matte black, bones all over it, some whole others crushed. And the carving seemed to mimic that of copious amounts of blood oozing to the ground. His snake, all black with a thick body until the tail, which thins out significantly. sat on the end of the seat coiled, threatening, and staring directly at Hoseok.

It dawns on Hoseok then, as he stares at that last snake, that no matter his position, all the snakes have beem looking directly... at... him. 

He whips his head around to look at the other thones and sees that their heads have all turned to his direction, effectively scaring the shit out of him. 

 _Okay well fuck answers_ , Hoseok's mind shrieks and he makes a break for the door and clumsily slides them shut, remembering to be quiet in case the others were wandering around.

His feet were virtually silent as he made a dash back to his room but apparently he wasn't quiet enough because someone was knocking into him, pinning him against the wall and snickering at his startled yelp.

"Well, well, well. Looks like our little guest has shown his colors, hm?" This voice, it took him a second to place it. It was only the accent that gave him away. 

Yoongi.

Hoseok shuddered in fear and peered up at the man, mainly the predatory smile because he couldn't gain the courage to look into his eyes. Hoseok was slightly confused as to why the man was speaking to him in english.

"How'd you get out hm? Why're you running around the halls?" Yoongi said, voice gravelly and tone daring Hoseok to say something he didn't like.

Maybe he didn't speak Korean? His accent wasn't like Hoseoks own so he chanced using his limited English skills, as he was only taught how to respond to customers questions properly. "Uh- um, they open door."

Yoongi scoffs, "What?"

Hoseok wonders if he said something incorrectly. "They le-leave door open?" He tries again, rearranging the sentence and furrowing his brows, voice squeaking into a question at the end.

"I know what you said, dumbass, it just makes no sense. They wouldn't just let you roam free." Yoongi takes one hand away from the wall where he was Hoseok caged in, never taking his eyes off the smaller and pulls out his phone, putting it to his ear. 

Hoseok waits with bated breath and a wobbling lip as he hears the line ringing, who's he calling? Why does he need to call them?

Finally the person pick up and he can hear the annoyance on the person voice, who he could make out as Namjoon, "Who the fuck is this?"

"Calm down kid, it's me. Stop fucking who ever you're fucking and get everyone here now. This little fuckers been roaming the place." Yoongi snaps, and hangs up the phone just as Namjoon tries to tell him to wait. 

Hoseok is confused again. Wasn't Namjoon the leader? How could Yoongi talk to him like that? Won't he be punished?

He's forced to stop that train of thought when he's yanked from the wall by his forearm and forced to jog to keep up with the pace Yoongi moves in, and finds himself back in the room he was just exploring. "No, no, the snakes!" Hoseok plants his feet and tries to veer away.

Yoongi just slides the door open and tugs Hoseok hard, forcing him to fall into the room before pushing him into the chair then heading to his. Coincidentally, the matte black one. 

Hoseok squirms as he eyes all the snakes on the chairs, thoroughly spooked when he sees some of their heads follow Yoongi and some staying trained on him. Yoongi's burning glare didn't help him either.

He decided that dwelling on the situation would only make him feel worse so he tried to focus on good things, sinking back into the past when his family went on an outing and he played in a meadow with his sister, chasing bumblebees and trying to get some to land in him when his sister said he was "pretty as a flower". His thoughts soon drift into the times when the other guys ate with him and spoke to him like he could blow away if there were a harsh enough wind. How Jimin and Seokjin had been so kind when they coerced him from under the bed and Taehyung fretting over his eating habits. Namjoon and Jeongguk had taken to quietly watching over him, noticing how he zones out sometimes and makes sure he doesn't walk into walls. 

Hoseok realises it's the first time since his father died that he's been taken care of.

He doesn't want it to end.

But something in him is scared. 

Scared that just like back then things will change and they'll turn on him. Leave him to grow up on his own and fend for himself.

Nothing is forever.

"Why're you looking around like that? Afraid?" The man's gravelly voice snapped after a few minutes of Hoseok's frightened fidgeting. Hoseok only nodded, eyeing Taehyung's chair so he missed Yoongi's amused smirk. "Why? Because you were caught doing something you weren't supposed to?"

Hoseok pauses, was he really not allowed to walk around? It's true that he never walks around without any of the other guys and he's never left the room at night.

That must truly be it, he did something wrong. Broke a rule, even if it was unspoken Hoseok could tell it was an obvious one now that he thinks back on it.

They wait like that for 15 minutes, Yoongi watching him closely and Hoseok flowing from distracted peace he'd placed himself in while thinking of the past back to his fearful self. Thoughts devolving into fear of punishment, then a door slams open somewhere and someone is yelling. He can't make out what they're saying because now he's panicking.

Hoseok yelps and jumps from his chair, turning to face the door as he shakes and begins to shrink on himself sinking to the floor in front of the chair, successfully hiding. 

As the footsteps come closer, Hoseok's mind starts to devolve into a panic. They're mad, they're mad at him. He wasn't actually supposed to roam around! Just because they left the door unocked didn't mean walk freely! He's still a prisoner here! He should've stayed in his room! No, he should've never ran away!

 _You're such an idiot! You ruin everything!_ Voices in his head started to yell at him, this time taking on multiple voices. His mother, his sister, Jamie, the men he let touch him.  _Stupid fuck always getting yourself into these situations! It's your fault! Yours!_

He can't breathe, nothing is coming in.

Hoseok gasps for air, falling sideways onto the floor just as Namjoon and the rest file in. 

Their words zoned in and out, but when he could decipher things he could tell they were yelling,

"-the fuck happened?"

"I didn't do-"

"-uck guys!"

"Who cares! He's just-"

"-UP! SHUT UP!"

Someone dips into view as they lay down next to him, the tan skin and wise eyes grounding Hoseok a little, and he can hear the terrible wheezing noise he's making as he tries to suck in air. 

"Hoseok, It's Joonie hyung. Can you hear me?" Namjoon spoke calmly, soothingly but his tone called for attention.

Hoseok meekly nodded as he struggled, vision beginning to spot. 

"Hoseok, I'm going to help you focus alright? Just focus on me," He delicately takes Hoseok's wrist and places it on his cheek and brings his own hand to the wheezing mans. "Focus on breathing, match me okay?"

He breathes in deep, exaggerating and encouraging the other man to do the same. They keep at this, breathing and Namjoon whispering encouragements and praises at Hoseok until he breathes fine again, aside from the occasional stuttering from hiccups and tears.

His face warms and he fills with shame from going into another attack, all he wants to do is get up and hide but he felt too weak to move. The whimper that escaped him only made him feel worse but he didn't worry about it long as his eyes fluttered closed. 

His confusion still nagging him from the back of his mind.


	8. All Monsters Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning! The themes in this chapter a little heavy and Hoseok makes a threat at the end, it isnt an actual suicide attempt so I don't know what to call it? Hoseok just makes the insinuation so that he could be left alone, but i just wanted to be safe and warn you guys!

 

Hoseok wakes up in a new place. He can tell because whatever he's laying on is neither a floor nor the soft bed he's been using lately.

Also because there is way too much light shining into the area.

He sighs and blinks his eyes open, squinting to lessen the pain from light shining directly into his eyes. When he opened his eyes and sat up his thoughts were confirmed, he had never been in this room before.

It was a moderately sized meeting room, meant to hold about eight or nine people but it was expensive in the most dramatic of ways. The sofa and chairs around the room were, to put it nicely, really ugly. The fabric was red and white paisley, and placed so that if the room was in use everyone would be able to see each other. A long table was behind him, the wood a dark brown and glossy, Hoseok wanted to touch it but he figured he wouldn't be allowed. The walls were a pristine white, and framed photos lined them. Hoseok could see that they were of all the men, some from when they were young, smiling at the camera with what could be family. Others were them together, all a little older now. Hoseok giggled softly at the ones with Jeongguk when he was a teen, features a little too large for his body and exuding boyish charm with his gangly body. He thinks it's funny how he looked so small and harmless before and now one of Hoseok's first memories of the man is him ripping a door from it's hinges.

The small man stood and went to the wall to further inspect them, after noticing that some of the pictures were a little too small to see properly from where he was sitting.

There was one of the boys in front of a Christmas tree, each holding up presents they'd gotten. Hoseok felt a little bitter at that, not being able to remember a Christmas he'd been able to celebrate but he moves on.

The next was... unconventional of Jeongguk and Jimin smiling with mischief, posed facing each other Jimin with a massive pistol in his hand pressing into the taller boys cheek. Jeongguk had a dagger aimed at Jimins throat. Hoseok thought it was odd but remembered that these _were_ gang members and filed it away with all the other weird things the men had done and most likely _will_ do.

Before he could look at more pictures Hoseok heard their voices coming closer, sounding like they might be arguing.

Not wanting to get into more trouble for snooping he scurried back to the sofa and sat stiffly just as the voices quieted and the door slowly swung open.

Seokjin's head poked inside and he made a little surprised noise when his eyes met with Hoseok's wide ones. A smile graced the mans face and he walked into the room farther, the others trailing in after. Yoongi and Namjoon were the last to enter after a short hushed argument that Hoseok barely heard.

The short silver haired man had his face screwed into a grimace and he went to sit in a chair in the farthest corner and Hoseok watched him with caution.

Namjoon cleared his throat to gain his attention, and when their eyes met Namjoon smiled softly, dimples gracing both of his cheeks. "Are you feeling better now?"

Hoseok's cheeks flushed at the tender tone and the attention that he was recieving as the men he was used to all sat in respective areas, watching him.

He nodded quickly, fidgeting starting up again as he averts his eyes to Namjoon's shoes, he could tell they were expensive and it made him wiggles his own exposed toes. He hoped he was convincing but he could practically feel Taehyung scanning his body.

"You're not." was all he said. Hoseok stiffened more and glanced at the mans face, his symmetrical features schooled into stoicism but his eyes were deep, boring into him and it made Hoseok dip his head low.

Guilty of the crime he thought he'd commited.

In the Ricci's gang Hoseok was taught to admit his shortcomings no matter how small, apologize correctly, and accept whatever punishment he would recieve when he was caught, and right now, he felt like he'd been caught. So in this situation his training immediately kicked in.

Hoseok felt cold, even though he knew his face was burning in shame as he slid to the floor, eyes locked with Taehyung's. In his haze he ignored the confusion in the other mans eyes and the shocked noises of the others, only focusing on getting out of a beating.

Anything to avoid the beatings.

_Crawl low, as low as a filthy whore can get._

_Always move slowly, never rush. It's sloppy, no one likes a sloppy whore._

He could faintly hear someone calling out, speaking to him. But he ignored it, if he looked away and gave attention to anyone else then he wasn't going to come off as genuine.

_If you're genuine you won't get a beating._

He just doesn't want to get a beating.

Once he'd gotten to Taehyungs feet, he went to kiss the shiny shoes but was shocked when they were jerked away, jolting to follow them.

 _Apologize, apologize, apologize_ , was the mantra in his head. Ringing so loudly that his head began to pound, there were voices all around him now drowning together and it overwhelmed him. Hands softly grabbing at him but he slapped them away. His eyes stung as he reached out to grab the shoe he needed to kiss and lick clean, _Make 'em shine boy_. 

"Make them shine," He whispered quietly. They were already shiny but Hoseok just figured it would make his job easier. The foot was jerking a little but it paused when the kneeling man's tongue licked a long strip up the side, then it was violently ripped away from his grasp. The gasp that escaped him soon blended into frightened screeching as he was lifted from the ground and his arms, that were frantically reaching back for Taehyung's leg, were pressed to his side.

All he could hear was his own screams, his pleads, could feel the hot tears fall from his eyes. The arms around him felt like a threat- no, a promise. He hadn't done well enough, he hadn't pleased, he underperformed.

Underperforming whores got the needle.

"Please, _please_ don't stick me! I'll do better! I'll-I'll _be_ better! _Don't stick me_! Don't-" He choked on his own pleads, coughing and making noises only the most miserable of people could make. "S-sorry, I'm _sorry_! _Sorry, sorry, sorry please!_ "

The entire time he'd been staring directly at Taehyung, pleading for his forgiveness panicking more when he realises he's not getting it.

Someone was speaking into his ear, whispering, shushing as the sank down onto the sofa and rocking gently. It worked slightly as Hoseok stopped screaming, the sobs that were once literally choking him slowing until he was only whimpering. Only then could he make out who it was.

"It's okay, it's alright," Jeongguk rocked him. "You're okay."

 Hoseok squirmed in his lap trying to get back to Taehyung again.

 "Taehyung, tell him that you forgive him." Jimin spoke softly, as if he was afraid that if he raised his voice it would trigger another scene. He sat over by Yoongi, frozen and looking unsure whom of to comfort and how.

"Forgive him for what? H-he didn't do anything? What did he do?" Taehyung rebuttled, voice hysterical.

"Yes I did! Broke a rule, Hoseok broke a rule! Apologize! Apologize! Apolo-" Hoseok started to get worked up again, the hysteria in Taehyung was incomparable to what was in Hoseok's, and hadn't even realized that he'd began to speak in third person. Hoseok sounded like he was bordering on mania.

"Taehyung!" Jeongguk begged tightening his grip again as Hoseok started back to thrashing.

Taehyung sprung from his seat, rushing to kneel in front of Hoseok, cautiously cupping his face to make sure they look into each others eyes. "Hoseok, what rule did you break?"

Hoseok whined, nuzzling into the hands trying to seem as complacent as possible before he answered. "Not supposed to walk alone, Hoseok left the room and wandered around."

Taehyung's face hardened before he shot a look over at the man in the corner, then softened again as he started calming the broken boy in his hands. "Hoseok, it's okay. You're forgiven. We forgive you, you're not in trouble."

 Hoseok sniffed hard and searched his eyes, finding sincerity in the other mans eyes before looking to the other men for confirmation. Ignoring Taehyung as he used his sleeve to clean the snot that ran from his nose because of how hard he'd cried. Everyone was nodding, smiles not reaching their eyes, except for Yoongi.

 Yoongi, who was already pale, looked like he'd just seen God and the Devil. His face was deathly pale, eyes wide and lips pressed into a thin line. Upon realising that he was under Hoseok's scrutiny he began to nod, face morphed into that odd expression that he walked in with.

 Hoseok sniffed hard again, a watery smile gracing his face, "No sticking?"

"No. No sticking." Seokjin confirmed moving from his chair over to sit beside Jeongguk, carefully moving his hand into Hoseok's hair to pet him, watching the younger mans face.

Hoseok was pleased, his mind dulled from the aftermath and his intinct is to just basking in the attention and care he was recieving, so much so that he allowed a content noise to leave him.

 It was over soon though, his senses coming back to him nearly all at once. Face flaming again in embarassment, shame his eyes as he avoids eye contact and fiddles with his fingers, toes curled. He slides from Jeongguks lap, sure that he was ovestepping a boundary of some sort but not fully wanting to give up the warmth, pleased to find that Seokjin also provided a barrier that made Hoseok feel something foreign. 

 Safety.

He wasn't sure if that was something he should be feeling, but ignored it for now.

Taehyung could see that Hoseok wasn't in too much of a vulnerable state at that moment so he pulled away, eyes still watching as he slowly went back to the seat he was in.

No one spoke for a while, Hoseok was a little unsure about how to continue everything. They said he was forgiven but the way they were acting right now made him feel like he'd done something wrong again.

The silence was broken by Namjoon, who cleared his throat. He was picking at the side of his neck, something that Hoseok could tell was a quirk he did when he was thinking of something to say because he'd done it quite a lot, mainly when trying to talk with him. "Hoseok... I want you to know that you haven't done anything wrong okay? Yoongi misunderstood the situation because he was gone for so long. You are a welcome guest here, you can roam freely, you're under our protection now."

"Oh." Was Hoseok's reply, now that his mind was clear he was embarrassed because he'd gotten so worked up over nothing. Taehyung said that but he hadn't believed him, convinced that he'd done something bad. They weren't even mad at him, he hadn't needed to apologize. But he also noted the part where he was now under their protection. Hoseok knew that to be under a gang's protection you'd have to do some kind of work for them, and the only kind of work he knows he can do was lying on his back. "S-so you're going to put me in a b-brothel?"

Namjoon furrowed his brows and Seokjin's hand stopped in his hair, the air in the room intensified and Hoseok stiffened up. 

 _Of course they're not putting you in a_ _brothel!_ _The best prostitutes go in those, you're just a low rank._ Hoseok berated himself. They want him to go back on the streets. Working in a brothel wasn't the best but it was still substantially better that working the streets. Working in a brothel meant the clients had to follow rules and never actually hurt you, at least not enough to leave marks. Street whores didn't get that insurance, street whores were fair game, street whores got the scary clients. The abusers and weirdos, the type of men that tricked them into getting into a car, thinking it would be a one on one thing only to be taken by many, many more. Dropped off like trash bleeding, beaten and unpaid, after being gang raped. He's seen it far too many times to count, his Russian friend being the first he'd witnessed, and was lucky to avoid that ordeal himself.

He doesn't want to go back to the streets, he doesn't even want to go to a brothel. If they thought he would they had another thing coming. Hoseok could feel his face taking on an angry expression, rage suddenly making him brave as he stared Namjoon dead in the eyes. "I'm not _doing_ _that_ anymore, I already told you that! If you think you can make me-"

"No, no, no!" Namjoon jumped to quell Hoseok's thoughts, realising where everything went wrong and trying to find a way to get through to him without saying something that could be taken badly. "Hoseok we aren't going to make you do that! When I said under our protection I didn't mean you'd have to work for us like that. You don't even have to work for us at all!"

Hoseok was perplexed, was he supposed to believe this? What was he supposed to do if they didn't want him to work?

When he didn't say anything Jimin decided to jump in, trying to aid their leader in convincing Hoseok that he would never have to go through that again. "Yeah, we don't even  _own_ a brothel! And we don't deal with people who deal with the Ricci's."

"But you own whores." The statement was blunt, Hoseok was surprised at his own voice but he kept it from showing on his face. Hoseok wasn't an idiot and he knows how gangs work. Gangs needed money and sex sells. The pause in the room was enough to prove him right and he just scoffed, standing up from the sofa and walking to a far wall, not wanting to be so close to two of these  _monsters_. They act all sweet and kind but they are just like the _Ricci's,_ a bunch of sick bastards taking people from their homes, forcing them into addictions, and then profiting off their torture.

"We don't call them that here," Was Jimin's response, voice comically small.

Hoseok barked out a laugh, humorless and clearly disbelieving, before turning back to face them all. "You think calling the people you  _force_ to fuck your clients and collegues something other than a  _whore,_ makes it better?! Tell me, what do call them then Jimin?  _Skank? Slut? Tramp?_  It's all the same, a whore's a whore." Hoseok was raising his voice but he couldn't bring himself to care. He was feeling angry. After all that fear, he was finally feeling angry, and it felt good.

" _Hoseok_ ," Seokjin's voice was hard and authoritive. It didn't nullify the mans anger but it caught his attention and stopped him from yelling at Jimin. Who's eyes had started to become glassy. "That's enough. We don't force  _anyone_ to have sex here, and we don't treat them like they treated _you_."

Hoseok grunted, not believing him for a second. Not forcing people to  _sell themselves_? The clients he's encountered you'd  _have_ to be forced to bed them. And he voiced this.

Seokjin's face softened, "How old were you, again? When they kidnapped you? 14, yeah?"

Hoseok shifted uncomfortably, crossing his arms over his chest and turning his body away from the six pairs of prying eyes, grunting out a _ye_ _ah._

Seokjin sighed, "We don't... do that here, Hoseok. We don't take kids, we don't force them into submission. They stole your youth, we would never do anything like they did to you. Trust me when I say that, yeah?"

Hoseok scoffed again, facing them again to give them each a disgusted look. " _Trust you?_ I don't know  _any_ of you."

That made them all pause, Jeongguk's head dipped down as he bit his lip, suddenly looking a lot more like the child in the photos on the wall.

Namjoon went to speak but a sudden buzz stopped him. 

Taehyung cursed and whipped out a tablet, from where? Who the fuck knows? "Fuck he's early. Why the hell is he early, stupid prick." He hissed, fingers tapping before he held the tablet up and started to speak in English.

Namjoon just sighed and stood up, the others following suit. Taehyung stood and made sure to angle the camera away from Hoseok. 

 _Who the fuck is he talking to? Are they seriously leaving at this fucking moment? Typical._ Hoseok only huffed indignantly, not looking at any of them anymore, even Jeongguk, he hated himself for the twinge of guilt he felt as the boys lips fell into a small pout and stared at him with those dark doe eyes.  _The duality of this fucker_.

"Hoseok, stay here. We will continue this later, I promise." Namjoon said after they'd all stepped out of the room, then closed the door.

Promises, promises. Hoseok was promised by his mother that she'd stop shooting up, promised by his sister that they'd always stick together, promised that if he performed well they'd stop sticking him. Promises were shit, no one kept promises.

What Namjoon had just given was a direct order, but Hoseok was still feeling brazen.  _I don't fucking work for them. And he literally just said that I could roam if I fucking wanted to._

Still, he didn't leave the room until he was sure that they were gone, the sound of their feet fading into oblivion. He crept to the door and quietly pulled it back, peeking his eye out, then his head before sliding completely out. Not even bothering to shut the door. 

He was in a new section of the building, the flooring carpeted, and not at all soft like in Hoseok's "room". It looked worn from use and there were a few stained patches on the floor. Blood most likely. 

As he walks aimlessly Hoseok wonders where everybody is. Not the men, he could give a shit about where they went, Hoseok wanted to know where all their membrs were. The entire time he'd been here he hadn't seen one of them roaming the halls, or heard them heckling each other through walls as they laughed obnoxiously loud. But this bulding was large and Hoseok could tell that they had operatives, it just made no sense that no one was here. Especially since this building was operating as their Headquarters.

Hoseok paused when he could hear voices, debating on turning back but then he heard something that made him step closer. Something he had to confirm, because if that was who he thought he was, he'd just caught these  _snakes_ in their first lie. That laugh, That voice, it was all too familiar. As Hoseok peeked around the corner he could see all six of the men he has been staying with and seven other men, two of which he'd had the displeasure of meeting before.

Jimin's voice rings loud in Hoseok's head and he sneers,  _liars. They're all a bunch of fucking liars._  

He can't go out the door because they're standing next to it, so a window is his best option.

He backs away slowly and tries to find the nearest open room, not having to go far, and looking out the window. He's on the second floor but luckily there were trashbags in the alleyway so he could land relatively safely. Hoseok unlatched the locks on the widow pane but as he tried to push them up it wouldn't move. 

The windows were glued shut.

The voices of the men were getting louder, closer, and Hoseok's resolve began to decay. They were coming too close, those men they were meeting with, they were people Hoseok wishes to  _never_ meet again. He can't do it again.

The scars that litter his upper back begin to itch and he becomes exceedingly aware of the brand on his shoulder.

He has to get out.  _Go, go, go, go they're going to get me again._

Hoseok ran to the door and locked it, the noise sounding too loud in the empty room. Clearly it was too loud period because the talking stopped abruptly and so did the walking. They were right there, they were  _right outside the door_.

"Who's in there?" Oh for fucks sake! Why was it Jeongguk? Hoseok jumped away from the door and grabbed a chair, movements hastened by the door beggining to jostle.

Jeongguk was throwing himself against the door and if the noise was anything to go by he'd be in here soon. Hoseok couldn't let that happen, so he threw the chair with all of his power, shattering the window.

He door burst open as Hoseok plucked a long shard from the window sill and held it up, pointing it at Jeongguk. 

The taller mans eyes were wide, shocked at what Hoseok was doing. Hoseok could see behind him, Seokjin was ushering their guest past them but he'd made eye contact with the one he wished to avoid the most. He let out a frightened noise as the mans face flashed with recognition and a devilish smile crept onto his face. 

Jeongguk began to walk forward, uncaring of the prospect of Hoseok threatening him, but then Hoseok held it to his own throat and he stopped. His eyes blazing as he stepped back and sneered at Jeongguk.

The man suddenly turned into a frightened boy as his posture seemed to shrink. "H-Hoseok? Wha-"

Hoseok's gaze shifted from him to the men, two of his loyal clients, "You're a _liar_ , and I told you, I'd rather die than go back."

Then Hoseok turned and jumped, falling into the trash bags, earning a few cuts because of the window.

Jeongguk shouted and was now leaning out the window, doe eyes glossy as Hoseok stood and held the glass back to his throat, "Stay there! Stay there or I'll do it I fucking swear to God!" He spoke loudly and edged back to the mouth of the alleyway before taking off.

No where to go but knowing he had to get far away from their promises and lies.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello loves. I just wanted to say how thankful I am that you guys like my story, you don't know just how much your comments mean to me. And I wanted to apologize again for that haitus I took without saying anything, I know i get worried when authors disappear for a while. I guess i kind of want to explain? I have moderate depression and anxiety, so for that amount of time I was going through an episode and I was stressed because I'm currently taking a college class that's really important to my curriculum, plus I started a new job.It doesn't help with my anxiety at all so yeah, it was getting a little too much for me. The writer's block was bad and I didn't have the energy to do anything, but now I'm feeling much better. Your kind words are very appreciated and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)


	9. Sticky Fingers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoseok has an adventure

As Hoseok walked down the busy streets of the city he realizes that he may have made a mistake.

Not the running for his life part, he would never regret that. Running away most likely just saved his life. But what he is regretting... is running away without pants or shoes. It's mid-November and the winter chill has begun to blow between the city buildings. His barren legs, still lined with bloody scrapes from the broken window, were nearly quaking and his feet had lost feeling long ago when he’d first started running. When he first began his flight, his panic driven brain had ignored these important bits, and it was only worsened when he realized his surroundings were literally a maze.

The headquarters he was staying in was cleverly disguised in a forgotten part of town, old warehouses and small businesses that looked abandoned from the outside. Hoseok can admit now that it is actually pretty clever because in cases such as his, when a captive is running away, it would be extremely hard to escape and get back to later, especially without being detected. But at the time he only felt trapped, like a mouse in an experiment, so he ran as hard as he could in any direction possible, pushing himself to his limit when he could hear Jeongguk and Jimin following behind him. Their calls would have broken his resolve if he hadn’t known that they were lying scum.

Jimin’s words echo in his head, louder than a bullhorn, _“We don’t even work with anyone associated with the Ricci’s.” _Utter bullshit. It all was bullshit. The kindness, the soft nature, it was all some act, so they could get those men there and return him to where he came from. Of course, it was, why would anyone want to keep him? Hoseok passed a building with a front window, briefly catching his reflection before turning away in disgust.__

____

_I’m hideous, I’m weak, I can’t even stay capable of defending myself without going into an episode. A used-up whore._ The stares he was getting didn’t help Hoseok’s declining state of mind, he knew what he looked like. Some weirdo druggie roaming the streets, risking pneumonia, tweaking off whatever fix he’d last gotten.

____

Or maybe they could tell.

____

Maybe they could tell that he’s a prostitute. Suddenly, all the confused and concerned stares became judgmental and disgusted in Hoseok’s mind. They all knew who he was, what he was. It didn’t matter to them that it was forced upon him, he was dirty and bringing down the city value. His breathing grew harsher and he quickly turned his brisk walking into a jog, hoping to get away from all the people, but no matter where he went they were everywhere, in fact he was almost positive the number of them was growing. Bumping and pushing him out of their way in efforts to get to wherever they’re going until Hoseok was forced into a slim alleyway, where no one could see his tear stained cheeks in the darkness.

____

He was scared. This wasn’t the surroundings he was used to, seeing as he was on new territory. Even on his old turf he probably wouldn’t be able to navigate that well. Hoseok leaned his back against the cold wall and hung his head, trying to sort out what to do next, where to go next. The only thing that he had to answer those questions was a resounding _I don’t know_. He has no idea where he is, he knows no one in this god forsaken country, no money, and middle school level education. Now Hoseok remembers he is still alone.

____

_Still a nobody._

____

His thoughts travel back to the time he spent with 5 out of 6 of those men. How they pretty much always surrounded him, how they made him laugh, fed him, made his chest feel warm. _Go back._

____

As soon as the thought ran through his mind he shook it away, steeling himself against that type of thinking. Go back? Back to what exactly? The same fate that he ran from in the first place? That would make everything pointless! He ran away for freedom. This is freedom! No one was hounding him, no one to make him do things. Yeah, it’s cold, yeah he’s alone, but so what? This is fine for him. He could find a way to survive out here again.

____

This was fine.

____

The growling of his stomach reminded him that he has been on the move all day and hadn’t eaten since the night prior. He gnaws on his lip and takes in his surroundings again. There were innumerable amounts of bodies around him and no one was really paying attention to anyone else. It sparked an idea in his head, fond memories of roaming the streets in Seoul looking for tourists and easily slipping the wallets from their person and feeding himself and his dog when his mother and sister were both gone for extended periods of time. It had been a while but Hoseok was sure he could do it again, the people turning into mere cash cows in his greedy eyes.

____

The rumble in his stomach and the aching chill in his legs only furthered his desperation, he needs to find some pants before he tries to snatch wallets, he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be the most conspicuous of thieves otherwise. The only problem is how is he gonna get them? He can’t just wrestle them off someone and he has no money to-

____

Hoseok was ripped from his thoughts by arguing and the sound of rustling from above him. When he looked up he saw a woman leaning out the window with a shirt hanging it out to dry.

____

She was yelling over her shoulder and someone was yelling back, all that he could get from the argument was the dryer was broken, and it was “Jodie’s” fault. Hoseok pressed to the wall and was slinking past in attempt to slip out the alleyway when he saw it, pants. Beautiful, leg covering, warmth giving pants! He stayed cloaked in the shadows and watched as she shook them out and pinned them up on a line, along with a few other articles of clothes, one being a black scarf. He felt like he’d hit the jackpot, pants and a scarf? Luck really was on his side.

____

_When is anything on your side?_ A thought runs through his head. _Every time you feel lucky you do something to fuck it up._

____

“Shut up,” he whispers to himself, glancing up to make sure the woman hadn’t heard or seen him, luck was still on his side she was now slamming socks on the ledge of the open window still yelling. Finally, she leaves from the open window and marches away yelling lowering in volume and turning into passive aggressive stomps.

____

It’s almost funny how she reminds him of his friend back with the Ricci’s, after she’d find out that Hoseok was giving away his money to take care of the other hookers instead of feeding himself. She’d yell and curse at him in Russian, lecturing him on staying healthy so that he can stay alive. “Besides,” she said. “The only person other than yourself you should be caring for here is me! I’m your best friend here, Mouse.” She chided, pulling him into a hug and patting his cheek, using her pet name for him. When he’d asked her to explain it she said it was because when she first was put on the streets she’d hardly known he was around because he skirted around hidden and silent like a little mouse.

____

If there was anything he missed about the Ricci’s it was her, they took turns nursing each other back to health from rough nights and told each other stories of their lives back home and shit talked about customers together. He wishes he’d escaped with her. It was the plan but… things just hadn’t worked out that way.

____

Right now, he was about to prove that name correct again, the line wasn’t extremely high, but it was high enough that Hoseok would be able to reach it if he was on top something and just stretched. He needed something to boost him up, and since he’s in an alley a perfectly good dumpster was a few feet away. The lean man peeled from the wall and took a few steps away to determine how he would pull off this stunt. The dumpster was a little too far to allow Hoseok to stand on and just reach over for the clothes, so he just has to move it over a little. Which may or may not make a shit ton of noise.

____

That is obviously not ideal for his mission. He searches around looking for another way to get those clothes, but he finds nothing, the only way is the dumpster. By the smell of it Hoseok can only assume that it’s full and he’s pretty sure he wouldn’t be able to move the damn thing, but he’ll at least try. He goes on the other side of the dumpster which is surprisingly clean on the outside and braces himself for a hard push, when he does push though two things happen. The dumpster which is clearly empty, slides way too noisily, metal scraping against concrete making a sound that causes your skin to crawl. And since Hoseok was sure it was full he’d put almost all his weight into pushing it, and consequently falls to the ground.

____

He quickly scrambled up and hid behind the dumpster, which had only moved about a foot despite all the goddamn noise it made, just as someone comes to the window Hoseok was trying to get into.

____

“Uh… Diane? Did you hear the dumpster move?” The voice yelled out.

____

“Uh… Did you hear when I said we needed a new dryer like a _month_ ago?! Fuck the dumpster!” ‘Diane” shouted back full of sass.

____

“Goddamn it Diane! I said-“ Hoseok couldn’t make out the rest of the argument as the person walked back into the apartment and their voices grew in pitch, but he thanked whoever oversaw his fate that that dryer broke.

____

He didn’t want to risk making more noise by moving the dumpster, so he just decided to climb it and reach over for everything he needed. He braced himself on the wall with one arm and grabbed the pants and socks, then went for the scarf. It was a little further away and without thinking Hoseok took his arm off the wall and leaned forward more, wrapping his fingers around the soft albeit damp fabric. Then the empty dupster tipped and he fell to the ground hard and fast. He couldn’t help the shriek as he dropped, leg scraping against the metal and knees knocking together then against the cement, pain blooming in them both so blindingly that he was temporarily unable to move. Tears welled in his eyes and a small whine creaked from the back of his throat. But he couldn’t stop now, he’d made too much noise and now the shouting above him isn’t at each other. Hoseok lifted his head and saw the faces of the people he was stealing from through teary eyes, shouting at him.

____

Then one of them disappeared from the window and he heard something about “police”, that was enough to make Hoseok push through his pain and stand. Limping as fast as he could away from the shouting woman through the window, just as he did Jeongguk. He spared the woman another look but cursed when he realized that she was filming him, and now she has his face.

____

Hoseok just pushed himself to go faster. He continued to limp away until he felt relatively safe in another alleyway and he dressed in the pants that were slightly too short, socks that were a bit too small. He wrapped the scarf around his neck and pulled it up a bit to cover some of his face, both from the wind and any police just in case they decided to patrol for him. Everything was a little damp but he was sure that something was better than nothing.

____

After poking his head out the alleyway and checking for any suspicious cars or policeman, Hoseok waddled to the other side, trying not to bend his knees too much. The people on the street were still like cash cows, walking with their eyes focused on their phones or whoever they were walking with and not on their surroundings.

____

Perfect scenario for the sleight of hand. Taking a calming breath Hoseok slips from the alley and into traffic, eyes already set on a man that is looking around with a pamphlet in his hands, obviously a tourist and lost. He feels slightly sorry for taking advantage of the poor man, but not enough to ignore such an easy target, survival of the fittest.

____

Hoseok sweeps the area with his eyes making sure that no one is paying attention to him before barreling into the man, snatching the wallet that bulged in his pocket and tucking it in his waistband. He apologized, even gave a slight bow and continued on his way. Adrenaline coursed through the pickpocket’s blood and he knew his cheeks and ears were pink from the rush, he didn’t stop to check the wallet yet, he just wanted one more before he did that just in case this catch was a bust.

____

And he got it when he saw an ATM ahead and a short line of people in front of it, all he had to do was wait them out and someone would withdraw some cash, it was a given.

____

Hoseok walked past the line and posted on the other side of the bank, trying to look as normal as possible. He wishes he had a cellphone because that would aid in his mission of blending in. He practically vibrated with excitement but he quickly contained himself, if he acted overly excited it could draw attention to him and that is clearly not what he needed.

____

He was just so thrilled to be up to his old antics again, he felt 13 again.

____

Hoseok lifted his head and nonchalantly checked his surroundings, making it appear that he’s not trying to see if anyone is walking past him with cash. He spotted a woman was taking her turn at the machine and was making everyone a little impatient with the older woman who clearly didn’t give a shit that people were behind her. She takes her time moving slowly as if to antagonize the others, or to stall for something. Hoseok scowls as she puts on her charade knowing that this is a set up.

____

He isn’t the only thief out here today.

____

Smoothly he left his spot scanning his surroundings as he went just in time to see a teenaged girl targeting a woman that walked away from the ATM line just before he had.

____

_Ah yes, a team effort._ Hoseok thinks to himself, he hides himself in the crowd and keeps his eyes open for a tail. He isn’t stupid, he’s a fresh face and this is clearly someone’s hunting ground. A team at that, those two could be the only ones but he was injured and couldn’t chance being sloppy, not prepared for any altercations.

____

_Maybe tomorrow I can try again, a couple streets away in case they’re hunting again_. He consoles to himself, sad that his hunting was cut short, _let’s hope that this guy had some cash on him._

____

Hoseok walked a little longer, wanting to be at least a full street away before he decided to feel comfortable and count his earnings. But before then he wanted to get one more wallet, he hadn’t done this in so long he was running on a bit of a high. The redness of his cheeks weren’t just from the cold arm blowing in his face.

____

The slender man weaved between the crowd and saw a businesswoman walking ahead talking loudly on her cellphone, her purse slung over her shoulder and open. Hoseok’s mouth practically watered over the new target. She was a bit more of a challenge, women were naturally more observant of their surroundings, dangers lurked everywhere. This was exactly what he needed to scratch his itch for the day.

____

Hoseok followed closely behind, something that wasn’t actually suspicious because the streets were getting pretty busy. Hoseok thanked his lucky stars that the years of malnourishment hadn’t completely left him dwarfed, he was just tall enough to be able to peer inside without tilting his head down. He saw what he thought could be the wallet and quickly devised a plan. The wallet in this woman’s purse looked almost identical to the tourists, so he could pull off a swap.

____

If anyone was able to look into Hoseok’s eyes they would clearly see the glimmer of excitement and mischief in them. All he needed was to give a little… push.

____

With a light shove the woman staggered,the purse falling to the ground and getting kicked a few times by passersby. Hoseok felt a little bad because the purse was clearly expensive, but then that disappeared when he went to apologize, and she started yelling at him. If he wasn’t riding on this adrenaline high Hoseok would have floundered at the altercation, but right now he was invincible, he felt how he’d figured Jimin felt when he sauntered into whatever room he wanted to.

____

Hoseok inwardly rolled his eyes at the rapidly reddening face of the woman and plastered on his most apologetic smile using an old line he was forced to memorize with a near perfect accent. “Oh, I’m _so_ sorry ma’am, let me help you with that.” Given that line was used for when he serviced someone with a particular fantasy before he went down on them, but it seemed to work in this situation too.

____

Hoseok knelt down, taking the money out the tourists wallet discretely while he gathered all the things that fell out of her purse then switching the wallets. He bounced back to his feet with a pleasant smile and handed to her, “Again, so sorry.”

____

The woman snorted and snatched her purse, muttering about bad parenting as she stormed off. Hoseok’s smile melted away and he used his middle finger to drag one of his bottom eyelids down while sticking his tongue out at her. “Stupid cunt.”

____

He continued his trek and searched for a place to safely count his earnings. And just like that he found the perfect place to do it, a convenience store. He could count his money, eat some food and dump the wallet at the same time. With a new pep in his step he ducked into the shop, expertly assessing for cameras, mirrors, and another escape route.

____

To not seem suspicious, he nodded in greetings to the worker at the front desk, but the teenage girl seems less than interested in him, focusing on the girl in front of her that was talking animatedly.

____

Hoseok shrugged and moved to the back of the store near the freezers, untucking the wallet and taking out the money, counting it and forcing himself to contain his excited laughter. Seventy-seven whole dollars! Hoseok was going to feast tonight!

____

He began grabbing juices, candy, chips, and when he got to the front of the store he grabbed a few pre-made sandwich’s. He thought about how well things were going for him and paused. He cursed himself, knowing that when he acknowledges good shit happening to him it all hits the fan. And at that very moment, three people walked into the store. One large heavily set man, and two women, one older, the other much younger.

____

Those women looked awfully familiar.

____

The younger woman locked her eyes on him first and whispered in the big mans ear, who’s face darkened significantly as he followed her gaze.

____

_Fuck, why?!_ He screamed in his mind when the one he’d previously thought was teenage girl pointed at him. He didn’t wait before he made a mad dash to the back toward the exit, losing some food along the way.

____

The man chased after him yelling profanities and knocking over displays.

____

Hoseok almost ran into the back door when he realized that it required a fucking code to get out. So, at last second, he made a sharp turn into a bathroom, dropping his food and locking the door.

____

_Please don’t have Jeongguks strength._

____

The man slammed his body into the door, yelling still about being “on his turf”.

____

Hoseok jumped away from the door and tucked himself between the wall and the sink, keeping his eyes glued to it, hoping he doesn’t get in. "Sorry!" he yelled, adrenaline making this situation a little more funny than he would have normally.

____

After a little while the man seems to tire himself out and the commotion dies down, but Hoseok was not going to repeat that mistake and decided to just take a seat, eat his food and wait them out.

____

The sweets were like a blessing to his palate, he’d always been a sucker for some sweet treats. He practically inhaled everything he had, then drank one of the three juices he’d snatched up when he heard a commotion outside the door.

____

He pressed his ear to the door and heard feet running around along with distant shouting. Just outside the door he heard the man curse about the two women he was with for leaving him behind and gave one final punch and took off.

____

With a frown, Hoseok withdrew from the door, then shrugged figuring they just decided that bothering with him was a waste of time, or the... Hoseok gulped and stood up quickly began disposing of the food wrappers and going through the wallet one more time to make sure he wasn't missing anything useful and dumped that too.

____

 Maybe if he left now, he could outrun them.

____

Just as he reached for the knob, there was a knock on the door then a voice, “NYPD, can you open up, we have some questions for you.”

____

Fuck.

____

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hehehe... been a while, huh? No excuse honestly i just really couldn't bring myself to write but now I'm in a better place and I promised myself I was going to continue this. My posts might still be sporatic but they won't be like this last time, I'm in university now and I'm still getting used to my scheduling.


	10. Hope is dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i've decided to italicize when the charaters speak Korean now, as it will be less confusing for future chapters when they have to speak in multiple languages. Enjoy, sorry it's a little shorter than I like but if i added anything else it would feel like it's dragging on.

Hoseok sat upright in the cell of the police station, fidgeting in place and eyes flitting to the other occupants of neighboring cells. The policemen that brought him in had taken mercy on him by putting him in his own cell seeing as the big man from the convenience store was shooting daggers at the petty thief.

It had been hours and the sun was coming back up, so Hoseok’s little power high had long dissipated and now he was anxious. He wasn’t going to be in any system and who knows what was going to happen to him if they figure out he isn’t originally from here. 

_Maybe they’ll just ship me back? _He thought, but then scoffed at that thought. Even if he went back where would he go? His family probably moved on by now and are living their lives, if not he’d just be going from one scary situation to another. One that he was trying to escape in the first place. He huffed and hit his head on the wall behind him, his situation really was hopeless.__

__In the distance he could hear the big man snore like a chainsaw, and that combined with the constant churning in his head didn’t allow him to sleep. Making him agitated and hyper alert of the noises of a police station. He’d always managed to stay clear of these places, the people from his old territory who were caught by cops where always punished._ _

__And if he could avoid getting stuck then he would do whatever it took._ _

__He wondered why no one was coming to interrogate him like they do in the TV shows he caught sometimes when the old lady that ran the motel would leave her door cracked. Before she realized her mistake and would slam her door with a disgusted sneer, of course. They were just letting him sit there and it made him anxious. He was always doing something; scavenging for food, fucking a client, or sleeping. Even with Namjoon and the others he wasn’t on his own aside from those first few days, they were always entertaining him or if they had to go they left him with something to watch._ _

__Most likely to distract him from thinking too much about escaping._ _

__Hoseok scowled, none of this was fair. Where were the police when he was kidnapped? When he was being raped repeatedly? When they forced drugs into his body, so he would lie still like a ragdoll?_ _

__They didn't stop those motherfuckers, but the second he decides to break a few rules he’s snatched from the streets like he was public enemy number 1 in merely a few hours?_ _

__The sun was up now, and a new round of cops were rolling in to relieve the nightshift. The two officers that arrested Hoseok stood and stretched, smiling and laughing with each other. He couldn’t help but wonder what was so funny to them, until they both cut their eyes to where he sat in the cell, the look in their eyes… it didn’t sit well with him at all. He curled up on himself, never taking his eyes off them and couldn’t help but feel a wave of shame wash over him. He was cowering in a corner of a cage like a frightened animal and couldn’t do anything to save himself. He couldn’t do anything but internally beg for someone to _save him _.___ _

____The two men snickered and walked to another pair, a man and a woman, who had just arrived to have a hushed conversation. Hoseok leaned a bit as they crossed the room together flinching back as they all glanced in his direction. The woman’s eyes glittered with a certain excitement and he knew._ _ _ _

____They already knew who he was, that’s why they were letting him sit. They didn't bother processing him because they knew he wasn't in the system, and they wouldn't make a paper trail for him so that when or if his body is discovered they wouldn't be able to identify him. Identifying leads to investigations, notified families, cries for justice and public eyes, All things that are bad for traffickers and the cops that are on their payrolls._ _ _ _

____Hoseok felt himself begin to shake, his stomach churned, and his vision began to flash. Both with painful memories and fabricated images that was surely promised in his future. He pressed his hands together then to his chest, trying to disguise his condition from any prying eyes._ _ _ _

____Two kicks to the bars next to him shocked his mind from the swirling images but did nothing to calm his heart or the shaking, he brought his eyes up and leaned away from the offender at the same time. There was a girl standing next to him, eyes quizzical and searching his face as she smacked on a wad of gum. She said nothing for a while, just stared at him and it was only making his nerves worse._ _ _ _

____The girl stepped closer, leaning on the cell bars and watched him with a blank expression._ _ _ _

____Hoseok was getting fed up with being watched like that and he always got rather cranky when he didn’t get enough sleep, so he snapped at her. “ _What _?”___ _ _ _

______The girls lips quirked into a slight smirk and Hoseok couldn’t help but notice how pretty she was. She was thin with long wavy red hair, she wore a large t-shirt paired with fishnet stockings and chunky sneakers. He wondered how her red lipstick was still perfect after an entire night in this hell hole. She was beautiful but the way her eyes peered into his made him squirm. Her smirk became a full smile then and she quickly dropped to his level, probably sensing that her looming stance and staring was intimidating._ _ _ _ _ _

______“Hey, kid, what are you doing in here?” She said in a way that said she knew that Hoseok was on the verge of breaking._ _ _ _ _ _

______Hoseok’s cheeks reddened in outrage and embarrassment, “Not a kid.” Is all he responded with._ _ _ _ _ _

______The woman chuckled slightly, “Okay, so how old are you?”_ _ _ _ _ _

______Hoseok’s brows furrowed in thought, should he answer this? Why was she asking him questions? No, he shouldn’t an- “I’m 21.”_ _ _ _ _ _

_______Excuse me? ____ _ _ _ _ _

________She perked up as if she hadn’t expected him to answer and was pleased to hear him answer. “Ah, well you’re a baby to me! I’m 26. Are you Korean?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Hoseok was stunned at how upbeat this woman was being locked up in a cell. “Y-yes.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________“ _So am I, lets talk like this in case anyone is listening okay _?” She switched languages and crouched closer to the bars.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Hoseok’s mind was thoroughly distracted and he found himself gravitating closer to her, she reminded him of his sister before she started hating him, it was comforting. “ _Okay. Um, why… why are we talking in secret _?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________Her smile twitched slightly but she quickly fixed it, “ _Because it’s fun to make everyone else confused. Look they’re trying to figure out what we’re talking about _.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Hoseok glanced behind her and sure enough her cell mates were watching them, suspicion in their eyes. It made a tiny smile stretch his lips and he looked back at her. “ _They really are, I think it’s annoying them that they don’t know what’s going on _.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________“ _Finally, a role reversal, am I right _?” she snickered.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________“ _Yeah, I’ve lived here for 7 years and speaking this godforsaken language is still nearly impossible _.” He snapped his mouth shut after that slip up, feeling like he did something wrong. We’re not supposed to talk about ourselves, I’m going to be in trouble. Then he remembered that he couldn’t be in any worse trouble than he is in now. Plus, he already broke that rule twice when he told her he was Korean and told the guys almost _everything _about his past._____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________His eyes flickered over to the door where they could see the station, where the group of four had become two, and they were cracking jokes to each other and slyly sharing intimate touches. The man made eye contact with Hoseok and sneered, then the woman turned to see what distracted him. When she saw who it was she scoffed, turned back to him and said something before walking to the phone and dialing someone. The wicked grin she gave him told him exactly who she was calling, and the thought made his breath catch in his throat._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________“ _Hey _.” The woman’s voice caught his attention, something about it had darkened significantly. She didn’t sound like the same woman from before and when he looked at her he saw that she didn’t look the same either. She looked scary, but the crazed glare she sported wasn’t directed at him, but at the officers. “ _Those police are they people you fear _?”_____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________When Hoseok didn’t respond fast enough she turned to him, eyes softening but the storm brewing behind her eyes was still visible. “ _Are they going to hurt you _?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________Hoseok’s bit his bottom lip to stop it from its trembling and fought the burning in his eyes from budding tears. Nothing matters anymore, nothing can save him, and no one would remember him. He’s just be another dead body that will remain unidentified and unclaimed._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________No one in life, no one in death._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_____________________________Someone should know me _, he thought before he let the tears fall and a silent sob escaped his throat. “ _They’re probably not going to do it themselves but… but they know I b-belong to some people. I did something I wasn’t supposed to. They’re going to- going to… _”____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________He didn’t get to finish when the door to her cell opened and a bored officer beckoned for her, “Hyuna, get the hell out of here, I’m sick of looking at you.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________“Aw, Leon, I enjoyed our time together too.” She said sarcastically then looked back at Hoseok, “ _What are they going to do _?”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________“ _I’m going to die. _” Is all he whispered.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________But it was drowned out by the officer from before groaning and talking again this time loudly and slowly, as if it would make her understand better even though she had _clearly _just answered him. “Hyuna! Time. To. Go!”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________________________________Hyuna shot up from her crouched position and hissed at the man, “I fucking heard you the first time, _Leon _, your lunch isn’t going to run away in the 30 seconds you give it a break from mouth harassing it you fat fuck!”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________Hoseok’s eyes widened along with everyone that heard. “Leon’s” face looked funny as it scrunched in anger and embarrassment, and if he had the capacity to laugh now Hoseok would._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________________________________________Hyuna turned to look at him, her brows furrowed as she searched Hoseok’s face before she turned on her heel. Hoseok sat up on his knees and watched her walk out the cell and in front of his she paused. “ _Don’t worry, they won’t let you die. We got you, lamb _.”___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________________________________Hoseok blinked in confusion and went to ask who the heck were _we _, but she was gone just like that.___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________Hoseok didn’t really believe her words, he didn’t have the heart to hold out hope anymore. Every hopeful situation he had ended in heartbreak and betrayal._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________________________________________Hope was dead._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You thought i would write story without meantioning my QUEEN????? HA.


	11. Protector

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pain could be worth it. He could endure it all, if it meant keeping them safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold = emphasis  
> Bold italics = internal dialogue  
> Italics = speaking in Korean

He knew when the time for him to go had come.

Every other person in the holding cells around him were ushered off into an interrogation room or released almost at the same time until it was just him left. Everything was quiet, way too quiet like the whole building had been cleared. Then he heard the footsteps and the quiet murmuring.

 _ **They’re here for you, you should do something**_ , a voice snickered in his head cruelly. _**Maybe you can vomit in fear? Or piss yourself or both? Seems to be your best defense**._

Hoseok’s airways began to close and his eyes welled with tears, he backed into the corner again as far from the bars as possible and lowered his eyes down to his sock clad feet. This is really happening; his idiotic escapade has finally come to an end. He was going to die and never see his friend again, and it’s only moments like these that he wishes they traded names. Hoseok misses her so much and he always gets this sickened feeling in his stomach when he thinks about how he had to leave her there.

It had been maybe an hour since Hyuna left, and he wonders how she’s spending her freedom. Wonders if he’s already gone from her mind. And as much as he knew it was stupid a tiny sliver of hope settled in his heart that she would make good on her promise.

It was stupid he knows, this was a woman he just met and one that couldn’t take on the Italian syndicate on her own, but it warmed him a little to think that she at least wanted to help.

Hoseok was really going to die. He had no way of getting out of here, all he could do is wait for Jamie or his henchmen to waltz in.

Much to his dismay the keys opened his cell, the sound of the lock clanking reverberated in his head ten times louder than it truly was. Everything seemed too slow, voices too distorted to understand.

Hoseok felt defeated, it’s like everywhere he went the Ricci’s were right there, breathing down his neck reminding him that he can never be safe. So, when hands came and dragged him from the spot he sat in he didn’t fight them.

He noticed a lone cop was walking out the break room and glanced at the spectacle eyebrows raising in alarm then straightening out too fast for most people to catch. But Hoseok wasn’t most people, he made a living off reading people to cater to their fantasies. It was how he survived. He wonders if the other cops knew what was going to happen to him.

He didn’t have much time to dwell on it though because he was roughly manhandled out of the cell and then whisked away out of the building.

Hoseok barely even looked up from the ground, still trying to make everything go back into focus. So, he had no idea who was pulling him and where he was going until he was tossed into the back of a van. His cuffs then chained to a lock on the floor, forcing him into a kneeling position. The familiarity of it all made his breath hitch, his head lurching up and coming face to face to two of the most prominent attendees from his nightmares.

Two of the people that visited him the most in his **trainee days**.

The two people that made him run in the first place.

Hoseok pulled on the bolted cuffs, even though he already knew it was futile, frantically shaking his head in disbelief.

_**No, no, not them! I’d rather it be Ricci himself than them!** _

“Oh, yes, yes! I’m glad you remembered us, we didn’t know if you could before we met again.” The taller man said. “You always blacked out during our… sessions.”

His shorter partner sneered, “You were always so good for us then, pliant and quiet. You made us look like fools y’know. Along with Jamie, we were criticized, one of our greatest creations, stealing and attacking their caretaker? That is unacceptable!” He spoke from his seat, not even looking at Hoseok, but then his boot came crashing down on his hand.

The scream that ripped from his throat was cut short by a kick to the face. The kick made Hoseok bite into his tongue, the sickening taste of blood filling his mouth before spilling out onto the flooring. He could do nothing but choke on it as more assaults rained down on him, breaking him down until he laid flat, he short mans boot pressing down on his head. “I wonder if you’re still tight? Or did all the men that fucked you ruin that? Did you fuck those kids too? Is that how you got them to let you stay?” He asked after he stopped kicking Hoseok, leaning down to fist his hair and bringing his head up in a painful position.

The statement confused Hoseok, **_it sounds like… they hadn’t been told that he was there. Like… the boys hadn’t-_**

Hoseok’s lack of response must've registered as disobedience and spurred another round of beating, he couldn’t think about anything other than the blossoming pain from every blow. “They were so upset when you ran, they even postponed our meeting? How did a little leech like you get them all riled up? Maybe you learned some tricks while we were away? You were so good before, I guess we need to spend some more time together, huh?”

“Calm brother, we can’t kill him, we need him, and we need to know about those boys he was hiding out with.” The taller one spoke finally, fixing his cuff link as if he was bored with this entire situation. He probably was honestly, his favorite part usually involved being naked.

Hoseok’s bloodied brow furrowed, _**why would they need to know about them? They had been in the headquarters, they clearly knew enough**._ But of course, Hoseok didn’t voice that, even if they thought he didn’t remember he did. He could never forget the things they put him through, the torture he endured.

“You’re right,” The shorter one said, then he kicked Hoseok again, his head ricocheted off the floor of the truck and he barely had enough time to register the explosion of pain before he passed out.

~

Hoseok woke again as freezing water was thrown over him, instinctually jolting upright and searching his surroundings. The room was small and felt medical, but he knew better, he remembers this room. The Punishment Room.

Everything about the situation was the same as before, wrists tied down to the armrests and a thick strap across his waist, his legs were placed on their respective rests that spread his legs open. They weren’t strapped down though, because they liked when he kicked and tried to twist away. Sick fucks.

He wasn’t naked, yet, which means they weren’t going to immediately start **that part** of the session. He didn’t know whether to be relieved or terrified at that thought.

His breathing picked up as the two master torturers stepped into view under the bright white light that reminded Hoseok of the dentist. Even the chair he was in resembled a doctors chair, and he knew that whatever happened in the past was going to be nothing compared to now when a pair of plyers gripped onto Hoseok’s overgrown index nail.

“Now, let’s revisit our rules, shall we?”

~

Hoseok had no idea how much time had passed, all he knew was he was tired. He ached everywhere, slashes, bruises, exposed flesh, he was a mess. He was surprised he’d lasted this long though, slightly proud, but he knew he wouldn’t last much longer, the shock would soon send him into a near catatonic state, that’s when the real torture would begin. But for now, he wasn’t giving in, he couldn’t. He knew that they were working to destroy his mind, break him down until he was a blank slate, so they could reanimate him again, teach him how to behave, and how to **please**.

Another fingernail was ripped away and he’d stopped trying to hold his screams long ago. The shorter of the duo relished in them, as if his pain was the best part of his favorite opera. “Your screams were always so pretty, Hoseok! My favorite to listen to out of all our little projects. But as much as I would love to keep doing this we need a little bit of information before we tell Jamie that we found you.” He spoke calmly, sounding as if he hadn’t been torturing a man for god knows how long.

There  **another**  confusing statement, t ** _hey hadn’t told Jamie about him yet? Why not?_**  He racked his mind as best as he could when he was in this position, grasping at anything that could make sense. They were always in contact with the Ricci’s, the mob boss at that.  _ **Why wouldn't they tell them?**_  They should have told them immediately, if they were still…

There it is… they weren’t in good standing with the mob anymore. They were quite possibly thrown to the curb after Hoseok had beaten Jamie and escaped.

They marketed Hoseok as their best creation, they’d beaten, sliced and fucked the fight out of him. He did anything they asked of him to avoid being hurt again, anything to avoid the syringes and punches.

And then he fought back, making them look like incompetent fools, no matter how the others they created behaved. None of them was marketed as the **best** as they called him, and that meant they hadn’t paid attention. They didn’t do their job correctly, and they gave the mob an **unfinished product**. Essentially, in the eyes of the mafia, these two tried to trick them.

Hoseok snickered at the thought of them being in the same boat as him. It had to make them **crazy.**

They were so highly ranked before, and now that was all taken from them. Taken away all because of a stupid whore that dared to think he deserved a better life. Sure, they still dressed nicely but Hoseok was positive that those suits were probably the only ones they had left because their houses were **definitely** under surveillance.

The boys probably really hadn’t known about them, if they were kicked from the Ricci Mafia then they were probably scrambling all over trying to find a new one to guarantee them safety. Telling other gangs that they were wanted by the most blood thirsty mafia in the city wasn't a great way to get hired. He regrets it now, running without asking for an explanation, but what was he supposed to think? All he was trying to do is save his own life. The look on Jeongguks face and the way both him and Jimin searched for him made his heart hurt. He is sorry to them for stressing them out like that. At least they don’t need to worry about him anymore.

These men were grasping at straws, hoping that with reprogramming Hoseok and getting information about another syndicate that is operating silently and so closely to Ricci territory will skyrocket them back into their good graces. Hoseok wouldn't give anything up, their lives were in his hands.

Hoseok smiled wide and fond. It was his turn to protect someone.

“Did you break him already, brother? We need that information, he won’t be any good if he goes loon.” The tall brother tsked from the corner of the room.

“I’m sure I hadn’t pushed too much, this was just the warm up.” He replied, then he was in Hoseok’s view and searching his eyes.

Something in Hoseok found all this beyond amusing, it was like he was a different person in this moment, the pain didn’t matter, his situation didn’t matter, he wasn’t angry, sad or afraid. He was just **amused**.

Hoseok jerked forward at his tormenter and laughed harder at how violently he jumped away. The two of them watched in confusion as he cackled like a maniac and laid back, sighing as if he was on a beach in Hawaii.

“What the-“ the shorter started but stopped when Hoseok’s head snapped to him, a large wild grin on his face.

“You’re both in trouble, aren’t you?” the question threw the pair off, the tall man sputtering. It made Hoseok chuckle again, and he shook his head and looked directly into the overhead light. “You’re scared~”

The short man growled and lurched forward, swinging a fist at Hoseok’s jaw. The force of the punch pushed Hoseok’s head to the left and a molar gave way from its place in his jaw. “Shut up, what do  **we** have to be afraid of. And did we give you permission to speak?”

Hoseok straightened back with a groan, working his jaw to loosen the muscles there. Rolling the molar in his mouth until he had it in a place that didn’t hinder his speech and wouldn’t roll down his throat. Then he looked at the man in almost exasperation. “Hitting me won’t make Papa Ricci glad. Jamie is his nephew.”

The men looked at each other, the shorter one shrugging in an annoyed manner.

Hoseok giggled. “You were **close** to him, right? So sad, so sad for you.”

“You’re sad for us? You’re the one strapped to a chair and at our mercy!” the shorter man stepped closer, ready to attack again.

But Hoseok spit his tooth and blood directly into his face and screeched in joy at how the man jumped back. His tooth hit him directly in the eye and the mixture of blood and spit sprayed all over his cheek, even on his pristine white shirt. “I’ve done this hell before, I know I’m going to die in pain or as a pet. You two, don’t see your fate. Once you’re in Ricci’s bad list, you’re done.”

Part of Hoseok is surprised with how much and well he’s talking, this is probably the most he’s spoken in English that wasn’t with his friend.

The tall man surged forward, wrapping a hand around Hoseok’s neck and squeezing. The youngest man gasped at the feeling of the fingers, and he wonders where this Hoseok came from. This version of him felt familiar and he thinks back far in the past, before the initial abduction that brought him to America to a fight he had with some neighborhood kids. His quick tongue and quicker reflexes saving him from a broken nose. Was this who he truly was before they broke him? Had this been something they took from him too? They took it and made him forget who he was.

Or is this what a broken Hoseok look like? One who’s at the end of his rope and can’t find a way out. The Hoseok that just can’t care about himself anymore.

The man pulled Hoseok forward then slammed him against the chair a couple times, growling about fixing this attitude he suddenly had.

Hoseok just laughed hoarsely, “Whatcha gonna do? Cut me? Hit me? Or fuck me rough? Name it, I’ve had it.” Hoseok brought his knees up to his chest and wrapped his ankles around the man’s neck, ignoring the leather strap digging into his abdomen, bringing him close so he could run his tongue across his cheek. “No lube, I know you like it bloody.”

The man ripped himself from Hoseok’s grip, he clearly didn’t like the loss of control in the situation.

Hoseok pouted then looked to where the other brother was before, just as he brought a hammer down on Hoseok’s wrist.

The crack was almost as deafening as Hoseok’s scream, flopping back in the examining seat and tensing, trying to overcome the pain. He couldn’t speak for a while after, just sat there and wheezed in pain.

The shorter brother looked proud of himself. “Now, you’ve gotten your time to act out, we know how long we need to work to correct this unsightly behavior.”

Despite the pain Hoseok cooed, “You still think he’ll forgive you? Jamie is his nephew, you know about Jamie’s mother, yes?”

“What does that matter?” the taller one said.

Hoseok groaned, “You know **nothing**? God, I’m a whore and I know better than you. Jamie’s mother was Ricci’s **baby sister**.”

The men’s faces paled and Hoseok smirked, shaking and sweating as the adrenaline subsides the pain in his wrist, _“Ah, maybe you do know something.”_

“What? What did you just say?” the tall one stepped forward menacingly but that wasn’t what Hoseok focused on.

No, Hoseok homed in on the smaller brothers’ movements, he watched as he turned to the tray of torture tools he had and grabbed something. What he grabbed remained hidden as he slowly sidled up to Hoseok, but the grin on his face told everything.

Hoseok felt himself pale and all the fight he had before vanished in the blink of an eye. He was cowering again.

“You were acting so wild just now, I nearly forgot our favorite toy, Hoseok.” He purred. “Look at you now, not so big and bad anymore are you?”

Hoseok shook his head, trying to lean away from the man but he was strapped down and his wrist was broken, moving **anywhere** was out of the question. He knew that this was bad, if they continued interrogating him like this, he might not hold on, they might ruin him. And then he doesn't know what would happen after that. He needed to accept the pain, he couldn't let them win, he has lives other than  **his** hanging in the balance. His own life didn't matter anyway, they didn't deserve to die because of him.

The other brother moved in too. “What was that you said? Fuck you rough? No lube, and make it bloody?”

Hoseok whimpered at them closing in on him like this, now he wishes that stupid power streak never happened. “No, no.”

“Oh come now, you even had your ankles around my neck. Where did you learn to be so **bold**?” He slid between Hoseok’s thighs and forced them up again, and he could hear the man unzipping his pants.

Hoseok struggled, bringing his leg back and kicking the tall man in the face as hard as he could. The blow sent the man sprawled to the ground and his brother went to his aid, lifting him from the ground and checking his busted nose.

They were about to swarm him again when a distant explosion shook the building. The two looked at each other in confusion and then at Hoseok, who was still frozen in fear.

The yells of some of their guards and gunfire made them jump into action. They were close and the brothers probably had very few guards in the first place due to their lowered status and frozen funds. The shorter brother ran over to Hoseok, unlatching his restraints and using him as a shield, as the tall brother ran out the room, bolting it shut.

Hoseok began to sob in fear, he had no idea what was going on and who was attacking, but he did know that the syringe was still in this mans possession. He dragged Hoseok into the far corner of the room facing the door. Hoseok couldn’t see him, of course, but he could feel his breath on his neck and knew that his head was almost entirely covered, his own.

Hoseok couldn’t figure out how he thought this would be a good idea when the only people that would burst in here like this were there to kill them both.

**_Unless…_ **

The gunfire was quiet now, and it made Hoseok uneasy, who had won the battle?

Footsteps came closer and stopped in front of the door, it was a quiet few seconds until the code was punched in correctly and the door unlocked. The man behind Hoseok breathed a little laugh, “Ah, Julius, care to explain wha-“

“Julius”, Hoseok supposes, walks in with slow steps and his hands are up, fear and anger swirling in his eyes.

Behind him are two people, both masked, the shorter red-haired woman had a plain all white mask, the man next to her had honey blond hair also with a white mask. But his had intricate designs patterned across it, golden lace like patterns flying from the outer corners of the eyes while the inner corner is lined with red linework. The two of them were dressed in skin tight black clothing with harnesses strapped tightly to their body, some were empty. Blood spattered all over them decorating their masks and dripping from their hair. The red head held two high powered pistols, decorated with colorful stickers Hoseok couldn’t make out clearly from where he was.

The man was almost completely hidden behind Julius, aside from the eye of his mask peering from behind his neck. Even though he couldn’t see them fully, Hoseok knew. He **knew** who they were, and he couldn’t stop the little sound that escaped his throat, a mix of happiness and fear. But the man behind him gripped tightly at his bangs and yanked him back against him, the syringe finally revealing itself along with a blade. The blade was pressed to Hoseok’s throat and the syringe was aimed at Hoseok’s eye.

He stared at the needle in terror, body shaking and breathing picking up pace.

“I see you’ve come to collect your trash here. He really is a good lay huh? To have you boys going through so much to get him back. Did you know that if you hold a needle to him, he’ll do whatever you ask?” the man’s voice held a tremor, exposing his emotions even though he tried to sound haughty and in control.

The masked pair said nothing in response, just pushed further into the room with Julius as their shield.

Hoseok wasn’t looking at them anymore, all he knew was the syringe and the strange colored fluid held inside. The liquid inside looked like something they used on him before, a paralysis serum for his early days when his fight could still win out.

“What good would he be to you as a vegetable? Would you like to witness more of our handiwork? Hoseok dear, lean forward for me.” He whispered. If it weren’t dead silent in the building aside from Hoseok’s panting no one would have heard it, but now it was clear to everyone in the room.

Hoseok didn’t think, just did as he told, watching as the syringe followed his movements, barely registering the bite of the blade sinking into the delicate skin of his neck.

“ _Sit still_.” The smooth drawl of a mans voice broke from across the room and it was all it took for Hoseok to take his eyes of his worst fear and direct them across the room, at the elegant man rounding from behind Julius. The slick gait and poise in his movements confirmed his beliefs on his identity. The katana he held fitting so naturally in his hand as if it were a part of him, raised at Julius’ neck.

“ _Jimin_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be with the update yesterday but I wanted to work on it some more so here it is today. :)  
> HAPPY MF GRAMMY DAY LETS GET THIS BAG


	12. The Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hoseok gets a snippet of what the boys are capable of, gets a little shocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bold = emphasis  
> Bold Italics = Internal dialogue  
> Italics = Korean  
> =================================  
> this chapter includes mild gore, and torture method discussion. In my head this chapter was supposed to have more but as i wrote i realized how ridiculously long this chapter would be so i chopped it down and saved the next bit for the next chapter.

"You  **know** it would be best for you, and your brother, to get that shit away from him before I lose my patience, Derrick." Even though he was behind the mask, Hoseok could tell his faced was pinched up in a scowl of irritation. It happened frequently during the couple of weeks he spent with Jimin and his counterparts, mainly after Namjoon gave him tasks to run that he deems "shitty".

"How do you think that,  **rat**? I know the shit you do for fun, we hired you and now you're nothing more than a dog biting his master."  **Derrick** says chuckling. "It was difficult finding you and even more difficult to get a meeting with you people mask-less, and you turn up here for **this?** " Hoseok is jostled around as if to make a point by showing how limp he is in Derricks arms. "Does it even know? Did your  **leaders** ever tell it who it's been shacked up with? Why is it just you here?"

Hoseok feels pathetic that he's been under the control of such an idiot for so long. The situation is dire and he can seem to grasp that he's fcuked. He's even going as far to call him **it** which he never did before, to get under Jimins skin.

Jimin had remained silent during Derricks short rant, standing there with the blade of his sword still on Julius's neck. But now his head is tilted at them, as if he's thinking. Hoseok assumes they might be thinking the same thing, when he sees the tiny disbelieving head shake. Jimin's in an odd angle now so Hoseok can't see his eyes, it makes him feel a little unsettled. "You know nothing of our operation tactics even though you brag, you antagonize me even though I have your brother, there is a trained marksman with  **two** guns on you, and you still stand there as if you have all the power in the world. These are the traits of a fool, Derrick."

Derrick scoffs, readjusting behind Hoseok to try and hide himself more. Although he was short, he was still taller and broader than Hoseok by a lot, so he probably looked a little ridiculous. "Ah, so I'll take that as a no. No one told it, that the people it was living with were killers for hire? A different type of whore, but whores none-the-less. You all seem to flock together. The difference between you two though, is Hoseok here, is fucked. You, though, might be redeemable, how much?"

Jimin stared at him for a long time before responding with a short, "What?"

 "How much money do you want in compensation for letting us keep him. If you came this far it must be because you planned on using him somehow. We can make it worth your while and this whole ordeal can be forgotten once we bring the little thing back to Jamie." Derrick suggests light heartedly. "Ricci, will definitely compensate you also for bringing the little thief to justice."

Jimins body looked so tense it seemed that he could pounce all the way across the room in one bound. But he relaxed himself, removing his katana from Julius and sheathing it. Hyuna had replaced it with one of her sticker plastered guns, Hoseok could see that she had headphones on, and was bobbing slightly to whatever music she was playing. The two move in fluidity, synched together like they shared he same brain, Jimin moves and she moves into his old space, like an echo. Jimin moves around the room, taking in the torture chair covered in Hoseok's blood, the filthy mattress on the floor in a corner, also with restraints. He looks at the tray, where the tools were kept and the metal bowl that held seven of Hoseok's ten fingernails, and skin that was removed from random points of his body. The more he saw the more Hoseok sees his body relaxing but his angry persona doubling, it was terrifying with how he said absolutely nothing and barely showed reactions at the conditions of the room. His heavy boots making loud reveberating noises as he toured the place like an art museum. It made the small hostage uncomfortable, he felt exposed and vulnerable in a new way. He's used to being naked in front of people, so being clad in his underwear, even if he's covered in wounds that are probably getting infected as they speak, doesn't bother him too badly. But Jimin is witnessing a piece of his pain firsthand, the content of his nightmares, now he  **knows** how fucked up Hoseok really is. Something irrational builds up in him and he thinks about how Jimin could use this against him if he wanted, but he tries to shake it off as soon as it bubbled up. But it was persistent and snagged in the back of his mind as he tuned back in to his surroundings.

Jimin was walking back to Hyuna and Julius when he paused, a gritting noise sounding so loud in the dead silence of the room. He's near the side of the chair and Hoseok realizes what he just stepped on as Jimin squats down to pick it up a fragment. 

He just stepped on Hoseok's tooth.

Jimin's anger was so thick, it could almost be smelled in the room. Hoseok could choke on it, and he could feel Derrick's hand start to tremor. Julius swallowed thickly and Hyuna wasn't bobbing anymore, she was watching Jimin as if waiting for an order. One never came though, he just grabbed the other pieces of Hoseoks molar and stood, pocketing them. "Justice, hm?"

"L-listen, we h-have a job just l-like you-" Julius tried to begin reasoning, but Hyuna pressed the gun into his throat so hard he choked and Jimin decided to practice his aim by throwing a dagger strapped to his thigh at his raised hand.

Hoseok flinched at the mans yowl in pain then another dagger whips past him, and he hears the pained sound from behind him, Jimin had struck his target but he hadn't killed him, yet. Jimin was absolutely  **homicidal** , the way he breathed so heavily and the tremor of rage in his body giving way to his emotional state. 

"You two, come to us seeking refuge,  **begging for protection** , saying that the Italian mob is trying to fucking murder you and  **this** is what you do for fun?! You torture innocent people? Even if Hoseok hadn't recognized you and alerted us, we would've found out and I would still have solely volunteered to end your sorry lives! You realize we target people like you?!" Jimin speaks almost calmly, the rage thrashing violently behind his practiced calm, clicking open his gun holster that was strapped to him by a harness around his midsection. "Do  **not** compare us to you low lives!"

Hyuna clicked the safety off her guns but her body language screamed hesitance. 

_**I'm in her way still.** _

Derrick was panting and his hands were shaking, but he seemed to remember he had a playing chip and used it, forcing Hoseok back to him harshly, almost hiding completely behind him and using the corner of the room to his advantage. "Look, you have my brother, I have the kid! We can work something out!" His voice shook and Hoseok could feel his head swivel between the two assassins.

" **Work something out,** you say?" Jimin's voice is dark, deepening with rage and authority.

Hoseok knows he shouldn't but he likes the way he sounds, shuddering at the timber.

"Yes! The kid is still at risk if you try shit, you might kill him trying to kill me! Wouldn't it be pointless if that happens?" Derrick is clearly desperate and Hoseok likes the sound of that almost as much as he likes the power Jimin was exuding right now. 

Jimin tilted his chin up, seemingly still interested in the thought of brutally murdering the brothers right here, right now. But he stills, and looks at Hyuna, communicating silently.

Hoseok knew Jimin was being a little irrational so he tried to reason too. " _Jimin, i-it's not that bad, I'm okay."_

That wasn't his smartest idea because Jimin only tensed more at the dribble of blood that oozes from his mouth, the way his voice sounded tiny and weak, and the slur of his words caused by pain. But it seemed to work anyway, Jimin straightens himself out, has the audacity to fix his blood soaked hair and walks over to Hyuna and Julius, who is making distressed choking sounds from Hyunas pistol pressing into his throat.

"How do you suggest we do this, Derrick? I don't have all day." Jimin sounded cold, indifferent almost robotic.

Derrick ate it up though, chuckling nervously, as he gains confidence again, Hoseok knew it was because the man saw how Jimin reacted to the suggestion of his pain. "We face each other the entire time, maintaining ten feet of distance. You go out first, and lead us to our car."

Julius makes another noise, akin to his brothers name, but Jimin silences him with a pissed off glare. The assassin pretends to mull over the idea, "Fine, but if I see anything I don't like I'm slicing something off your pencil dick brother."

"No, that-" Derrick goes to argue but Jimin just laughs. 

"You think I'm under your **control**? You said it yourself we each have something that belongs to the other, I want what's mine and I have my  **own fucking terms.** I'm being fucking polite indulging you like this." Jimin traces a finger on Julius's jaw, who jerks away in disgust and Jimin coos. "I could've cut of his fucking head long ago and brought it to you, but I'm nice and  **fair** so I expect that graciousness to be  **returned** or my mood will get  **worse**."

Derrick doesn't respond fast enough so Jimin decides to give him  push. Hoseok was amazed at the way Jimin moved, his body moved with a type of grace that resembled a macabre dance. He was so swift in movements that if you were to blink you risked missing something. Hyuna was swift as well, dancing from the vicinity of Jimins wrath and immediately training her gun back on Derrick. 

Hoseok felt that she had a clear enough shot from that angle but for some reason, she didn't pull the trigger. They were playing a part now.

Jimin had swept Julius's feet from under him, hunkering down slightly and unsheathed his blade, swinging it fluidly cutting off a piece of the mans  **nose**. When he thudded to the ground with an ugly gurgling shout, Jimin swung his back leg forward, stomping on his chest with his heavy black boots, bringing his katana high above his head and bringing it down with enough force that suggests the blade would sink straight through the man and break upon collision with the concrete flooring. He stops, however, at Derricks distressed yells, just and inch from Julius's skin.

"Okay! Okay, fucking psychopath! Whatever you say, just don't fucking kill him!" Derrick had exposed his head in his panic and Hoseok  **knew** the assassin duo was up to something. 

Jimin straightened up easily and yanked his hostage from the floor. Hyuna slipped back to them and reapplied her guns, bobbing to her music again. Jimin had his gun aimed at the other pair, "Okay then, off we go. _Red, the door_."

Hyuna backed away to kick the door open fully so they would be able to see everything as they backed out. Hoseok could feel Jimin's eyes on him, inspecting his injuries, looking for any signs of fear, discomfort, or maybe even the start of one of his fits. It's then that Hoseok realizes that he doesn't even feel like himself. He feels like a spectator, and he just felt tired, he wanted this to be over. He wants to get away from this vile sweaty man. He wants to go back to his room and sleep an eat a big ass bowl of pasta. He wants Jimin, and the others. _"It's okay, Hoseokkie. We weren't going to let anything happen to you. Jiminie isn't going let anyone hurt you anymore, alright?"_

Hoseok nods as much as he can with a knife at his throat, and gives him the best smile he can muster in this situation, which he can even feel was unsuccessful. His body ached and he was walking on shredded feet, no doubt bleeding now as he is forced to walk on the filthy ground that is also littered with broken fucking glass. The broken wrist wasn't helping either.

Derrick grunts in irritation at their interaction, not knowing what was being shared between the two. "No fraternizing with my hostage, Park."

"Are you  **commanding me**?" Jimin snaps. 

Derrick silences at the tone, he knows he's in a tough shot, it's two against one. One majorly pissed off, and the other one a weird girl with guns pointed at his brothers head.

They make their way through the building in tense silence, Hoseok is taking in his surroundings as he's directed through the halls, it looks like an old clinic, if the tacky posters of people in lab coats were anything to go by. But what he noticed more was the spray of blood that coat the walls, still dripping. Bodies litter the hall floor, missing limbs or heads, either cleanly severed likely from Jimins blade or blown off, from a gun. Hoseok looked to Jimin, startling a bit when he realized he was already watching him, trying to gage any reactions the frail man might have. Hoseok would be lying if he didn't say there was a little fear and caution that he has attached to them now. They're capable of inexplicable carnage, they were beyond dangerous. They were lethal, but he's... intrigued. 

They did all this... for him? 

 _ **Why? Why me Jimin?**_ Hoseok tried to send the mental message to the man across from him with no luck.  _ **Why is it that when I'm around you guys I get more questions than answers?**_

Hyuna and Jimin weren't even looking behind themselves as they backed through the halls, maneuvering Julius and themselves as if they memorized the buildings layout and where their victims fell. It was beyond unsettling and twisted the tiny growing knot in Hoseok's belly.  _ **Who the hell are you guys?**_

The double doors of the exit came into view, standing wide open, giving way to the growing darkness of the city. Hoseok could make out the outlines of bodies littering the ground out there too. One felt quite familiar, but he couldn't make it out from where they were right now.

Derrick, the fucking idiot, was starting to feel a bit cocky again. His steps weren't cautious tip-toes, but proud stomps. "Y'know, I've heard rumors about you guys. You never leave survivors. You're faceless, nameless whispers of murder. And all it took to unravel that was a tussle in the sheets with our dearest boy here. But let me give you a tip before we take our leave."

Julius made a noise, but Derrick ignored him, again.

Jimin tore his gaze from Hoseok, to his target. "Tip?" he quipped, stepping from the building and backing away to a car. Hoseok could practically see the disgusted expression he must be wearing.

Julius made another distress noise, still trying not to choke in his own blood as it runs down his face. He went to speak but Jimin hit him in the stomach with the butt of his katana. "Shut up, I wanna hear what the man has to say." 

Stepping out of the building, and now Hoseok could see who was on the ground. The long mop of dark grey hair gave him away instantly. Yoongi was laid out, a large puddle of blood seeping from his midsection, his head was tilted away from them all and Hoseok couldn't help the tiny noise of distress. He hadn't really known Yoongi, or had good experiences with him but he knew that all the boys were very close and the thought of any of them getting hurt over him pained his chest. 

"These little, whores need to be put in their place. Giving them too much freedom gives them ideas that they can do anything other than being a bedwarmer. That's where Jamie went wrong with this one. I can tell you're going down the same path with how mouthy he was earlier." Derrick kept walking, not sparing Yoongi a glance as they got closer to the car. Hoseok however didn't stop staring, something was up with Yoongi's body. He was laid out too conveniently, his arm was over his middle hiding his hand from view on the other side of his body. Then he noted the tiny rise and fall of his chest, and he had to hold in his gasp. 

 ** _He's not dead, that might not even be his blood._** Hoseok looked at Jimin but he wasn't paying Hoseok any attention anymore so he looked at Hyuna, who was looking at him, he could see the amusement in her eyes.  _ **So this is the plan.**_

"And how do you suggest we... put him in his place?" Jimin spoke carefully making his voice levelled. He's trying to make sure Julius doesn't interrupt again.

"Clearly he's undisciplined, and I assume he knows something you don't want anyone else to know. Which explains why you're here." 

Hoseok wanted to squawk at Derricks idiocy. He hadn't seen much care in his life but even he saw that Jimin was here because he didn't want Hoseok hurt.  ** _Jesus fuck, this is who I was scared of?_**

"The best way to get this one to comply was locking him away. Day and night, if he wanted to do anything, I mean  **anything,**  he had to work for it. Once he held out for nearly a week, but in the end he gave in, swallowed me down like I was his last meal." Derrick chuckled. They're now at the car and Hyuna yanked the door open and manhandled Julius into the car, but she paused at the words leaving Derrick's putrid mouth. She was still facing Julius and if his sheet white face was anything to go by, she was seething at him.

Hoseok wanted to vomit at the memories, remembering the tiny closet-like room that barely allowed him to lay down. The thick scent of his own urine wafted in his nose like he was still there, and there it was. The buzzing skin.

" _Now!"_ Jimin growled and Hoseok could hear Yoongi move behind them, then two quiet shots rang out, both catching Derrick in the head. The weapons dropped, but so did the pair. 

Hoseok felt the warmth of blood spatter his face and once they'd fallen he felt it ooze in his hair, and slide down his cheek and forehead. Everything sounded so far away and the way the blood felt on made him queasy. He weakly shimmied his body, in attempt to remove the heavy weight, but it was done for him as hands came to his aid. Voices drowned together and Hoseok couldn't make out what they were saying, it only made Hoseok confused. He looked over where derricks body was and just stared. Stared at where a fourth of his head used to be, now exploded and exposing it's inards to the world. Hoseok didn't know what to feel, but he wasn't upset that he was dead he could tell. Hoseok didn't like that it wasn't **him** who'd pulled the trigger. That man deserved worse than a quick easy death and now Hoseok knows he wanted to be the one to give it to him.

He was pulled up by strong hands and another pair of smaller hands wiped at his face before he was wrapped in jackets then in someone's arms as they ran, sliding into a car.

Then everything went black. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ My Twitter! ](https://twitter.com/hnybunsugaplum)


	13. Announcement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry! Sorry!

So in retrospect of news right now, I don’t feel very comfortable writing about this topic. So I’m gonna pt it on hiatus for a minute. But don’t worry, this means I’ll start on my OTHER project. ;D


	14. NOT AN UPDATE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my [ Twitter](https://twitter.com/hnybunsugaplum)

I just wanted to let you buys know I posted the beginning of my new project. i'm working on an update for this one too, it's just my finals are coming up in two weeks and I have a few things to do for my classes. Please wait for me!


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